Global Gas Report 2022

This edition of the Global Gas Report covers two very turbulent years in the global gas industry and the wider global energy markets. The Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, with a brief period of excess supply and low prices, gave way to tight energy markets, extreme price volatility, and a compounding geopolitical challenge to energy security. At the time of writing, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has been affecting the flows of gas and has put Europe on a quest to diversify its energy and gas supply that is now opening a new paradigm in the energy industry. This report comes at a time when the situation for global commodity and gas markets is in a state of rapid change, and the strategic path forwards for the gas industry and energy policy-makers is continually developing. One thing is clear, this is a critical and decisive moment for the gas industry. How it navigates the way through this crisis and charts a path forward will shape its long-term success and the role that it will play in the energy transition and beyond. This is the moment for the gas industry to demonstrate that gas can deliver a sustainable and secure energy future for all, and that natural gas and a portfolio of decarbonized, low- and zero-carbon gases are key to an achievable energy transition. This year’s report assesses key gas market trends from 2020 and 2021, including Covid-19 outcomes, tightness of supply, price volatility, investments, and the upward reversal in the global emissions trend. It then turns to the main topic on the global energy agenda – security – and considers key variables impacting it from industry and policy perspectives, as well as considering possible paths to reinforce it. Finally, the report looks at the main decarbonization pathways for gas supply, as they progressively develop to make gas itself a low or zero-carbon fuel for the future. This report seeks to deliver insights about the global gas sector and to inform its stakeholders, partners, and importantly global decision-makers about the state of play today and possibilities for the future. It concludes with key insights on how sustainability, security, and competitiveness can help to deliver a sustainable future in line with the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Sustainable Development Agenda.