Speeches 2004

The future of natural gas - changes and challenges ahead

16/09/2004

Jeroen van der Veer, President of Royal Dutch and Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors Royal Dutch/Shell Group

Jeroen van der Veer, President of Royal Dutch and Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors Royal Dutch/Shell Group

Gas will play a key role in meeting our future energy needs and that role can be developed in a way that is complementary to oil, bringing advantages both to resource holders and energy consumers. There is clear potential for continued significant growth in gas demand and liquefied natural gas (LNG) is going to be one of the key drivers in meeting that demand. That growth in LNG, alongside the emergence of gas to liquids, will drive the development of a bigger, more dynamic and more complex gas market. There are clear challenges ahead in that market, not least in providing the new infrastructure and massive investment that will be necessary to deliver gas over ever longer distances. Meeting those challenges will require action from all those involved. However, the energy industry has a strong record of successfully overcoming these kinds of challenges and there is every reason to be confident that the potential of gas will be realised.

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