World leaders in natural gas production. Leading countries in gas production

It is impossible to overestimate the role of natural gas, which is in great demand and is declining catastrophically, given the global consumption volumes, it is impossible. The United States and Russia have become the leaders in gas production in the world, constantly competing for superiority and having hundreds of deposits of this wealth on their territories.

The annual production of shale gas by these two countries is 40% of the world's volumes. The United States has practically abandoned imported gas and is actively developing its territories by converting part of the gas production facilities for export purposes.

The instability of the world gas market, an increase in its exports to other countries and, as a result, a decrease in prices, forces Russia to cancel long-term gas supply contracts, constantly make concessions in prices to importing countries and develop new fields with less intensity.

The extraction of this raw material, although at a slower pace, is carried out on the territory of Qatar, Iran, SAO, Algeria and other countries.

The tendency to increase gas production, which began in the middle of the 20th century, has increased tenfold in our time. This is due to the increase in aviation, road, sea transport, the development of the chemical industry, which has increased tenfold in demand for electrical energy resources. The possibility in the near future to transfer a number of vehicles (including most of the cars) to a relatively inexpensive gas fuel has increased its world production several times over the past eight years, and has occupied the minds of scientists with the discovery of new deposits, accumulation forms and methods of gas production.

Data on gas production of conglomerate states vary. Each country maintains its own statistics, which are summarized for the year and published in print media. According to the reports of statistical agencies, over the past few years, the United States has quadrupled gas production in shale deposits, overtaking Russia, and is not going to slow down.

Only data on gas sold and actually consumed in the country can be recorded, the costs and utilization factor associated with production (losses during gas emissions into the atmosphere, combustion during production, etc.) are not taken into account. The utilization factor is the greater, the greater the degree of development of the gas industry.

By 2030, shale gas reserves (for which the standard deep well drilling method is used) will be at a critical limit in many countries. According to scientists, the world's reserves of this fuel are decreasing exponentially every year, and the rate of production predicts the depletion of the resource in 50-70 years. The issue of extraction of hydrated and mine methane gas becomes topical. Both varieties are currently only beginning to enter the field of study. Their production is associated with the construction of new drilling rigs and the development of new methods of gas purification from impurities.

Gas is the safest fuel in terms of environmental impact. When it is burned, a smaller amount of harmful volatile compounds is formed than from the combustion of other types of fuel. The main danger threatening humanity with an increase in gas production is a reduction in the species abundance of animals due to deforestation in the territories of gas fields, as well as erosion processes occurring under the influence of drilling.

Statistical overview of the leading countries in gas production in the world

1. USA - the volume of production has grown over the past three years by 4 times and tends to increase. Due to this, they stopped almost completely importing gas into their territories. Main deposit:

• Gulf Coast Basin Mining occurs in the rocky mountainous regions of eastern Texas and southern Arkansas. The depth of the gas is more than 3 kilometers.

• Urengoy field - Western Siberia - the third largest in the world - reserves - 4.5 trillion. cube m., more than a thousand wells. Today, it is possible to extract gas only from very deep layers of sediments.
• Markovskoye field - Eastern Siberia - 2.4 trillion. cube m.
• Bovanenskoye field - Yamal Peninsula - 3.2 trillion. cube m., despite the recent development period, and a small volume of production, is considered very promising.
• Ust-Vilyuiskoye deposits - Far East - 1.5 trillion. cube m.

Russia is the main gas exporting state in the world, and it has advantages over other producers due to two ways of supplying raw materials: by sea (gas is transported in liquid form) and through a gas pipeline.

Gulf countries

Development is carried out on the territory of the Persian Gulf, which is divided by a tectonic fault into 2 parts. Both deposits are of different age of origin and are isolated from each other.

1. Iran - South Pars, - the northern part of the Gulf.
2. Qatar - North Pars - the southern part of the Gulf.
3. SAO - Gavar - the eastern part of the Persian Gulf. The depth of occurrence depends on the rock of the gas-bearing layer and ranges from 1 to 3 km.

Raw materials are exported in large quantities to most European countries.

1. Canada - the main reserves are located in the northern province of Newfoundland, capture part of the Appalachian mountains - several gas fields. Most of the produced gas is exported to the United States.

• Rainbow Lake is the southern part of the Canadian state.

• - Dazhou is one of the administrative centers in Sichuan province. Active importer of fuel - about 25 billion. cube m per year.

• - Troll West - the occurrence of fossil raw materials occurs at a depth of 400 meters, from at least three sources.

• -Hassi-Rmel - location - north of Algeria.

• Galkynysh - location - southeast of Turkmenistan, includes three large deposits.

The conditions in which people live today cannot be imagined without the use of fuels such as natural gas. It is environmentally friendly, has good thermal conductivity, and is easy to transport. These and many other positive qualities have long made gas indispensable in most areas of human life, industry and the electric power industry. This article provides up-to-date and official information according to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.

World gas reserves

Gas reserves in the world exist of the following types:

• proven. Such reserves represent the portion of reserves that are likely to be recovered from developed fields under current economic and technical conditions.
• probable. There is not enough information about these reserves to say with certainty whether it is worth developing them in the current economic and technical conditions. However, probable reserves become economically viable even with a slight increase in information about them, as well as the development of mining technology.
• possible. There is very little information about such stocks. Based on the available data, we can only speak of a rough estimate of extraction costs or an optimal extraction method, but the degree of probability is not high.

Simply put, probable and possible reserves differ from proven ones only in that it is not profitable to develop them at the current level of prices and technologies used.
In addition, gas reserves are divided into:

• small - up to 10 billion m3
• medium - from 10 to 100 billion m3
• large - from 100 to 1 trillion m3
• largest (giant) - 1-5 trillion m3
• unique ("supergiant") - over 5 trillion m3.

Gas production in the world

It is noteworthy that the main consumers of natural gas are territorially located outside the areas of global fuel production. This happened due to the specific geography of the distribution of industry and the electric power industry, as well as the population density in certain regions. Since the 1970s, the largest volumes of consumption have been observed in three regions of the globe: North America, Foreign Europe and the CIS countries. Of these, only the United States of America and Canada are able to fully meet their needs with blue fuel. In other regions, it is not their own resources that are consumed, but export material from countries that are engaged in mining.
Natural gas production figures show that a quarter or 25% of all world production is in the United States, which is the leader in this industry. In second place is Russia, which produces approximately 20% of the total gas production in the world. Interestingly, the leaders in production are not always leaders in exports.

Gas fields in the world

The twenty largest gas fields contain approximately 1,200 billion cubic meters of blue fuel. The richest deposits are in:

• Russia. 9 of the 20 largest fuel sources are located in this country. Most of them were discovered in the 60-80s of the last century. About twenty years ago, three more large deposits were found on the territory of Russia: West Kamchatskoye, Leningradskoye and Rusanovskoye
• USA. In this region, there are 4 largest deposits found in the mid-1960s. The Americans began to massively use their deposits only at the end of the 20th century.
• Qatar and Iran. On the territory of these states there are two rich places, one of which affects the territories of two countries at once
• Turkmenistan has only one rich place, which made it to the list of leaders in terms of gas reserves
• China. The only rich deposit was found in 2008, it is located on the tenth line in the TOP-20 states in terms of resource reserves
• Algeria. Three districts of Algeria close the rating of leaders. The Hassi Mel deposit is the oldest in the state; it was discovered in 1957. However, even today it is the largest in Algeria. Two more deposits were found in 2004 and 2006.

Places of gas production in the world

In the first place is South Pars, which is located simultaneously on the territory of two countries - Qatar and Iran, as well as in the region of the Persian oil and gas basin and the Gulf. It was opened in 1991 and today it contains more than 270 billion cubic meters of gas. It should be noted that the Persian Gulf is a world giant not only in terms of deposits, but also in terms of production in the Asian oil and gas region.
In 2006, the Galkynysh deposit was found in Turkmenistan, which immediately moved to second place in the ranking of world leaders. It contains 210 billion cubic meters of blue fuel.
In third place is the Russian Federation and its Urengoy region, located in the West Siberian oil and gas basin. It was opened in 1996 and, according to 2016 data, it contained about 10.2 trillion cubic meters of gas.
It is worth noting that the cleanest natural gas in the world is located in the territories of Algeria and Nigeria. High-quality fuel is produced in this region, in which there are practically no harmful impurities and slags.
OPEC statistics show that at the current rate of blue fuel consumption on the planet, the available reserves will last for about 65 years. Over 120 trillion cubic meters of gas has not yet been explored, because they are located at a very great depth in the earth's crust and are practically not available for global production.

Russia is a country with the largest in the world, even the most unique gas fields, which provides the whole world with its blue fuel, and is not going to stop there

Energy is the main "food" of the economy; the life support of any country depends on it. For each state, the lack of natural energy resources becomes a weighty reason for the development of new alternative energy sources. Although, in fairness, it should be noted that the currently existing types of fuel, oil, gas, coal and atom, will retain the status of the main types of energy production for a long time to come.

And in this sense it is difficult to overestimate the role of the gas industry. The development and production of gas in Russia, as well as its supply to the world market, have brought the country to a leading position. Although Russia is very generously endowed with this type of raw material, it did not acquire such a role immediately.

But before getting acquainted with the history of active gas developments in the Russian Federation, let's talk about the place that is given to natural gas in the world.

Blue fuel on planet earth

In terms of natural gas production, more than a quarter of the world volume belongs to the United States, which at the end of 2016 remains the undisputed leader. In second place is Russia with a volume of about 20% of the total production of the ten leading regions.

Rice. 1. World leaders in natural gas production in 2016, bcm meters
Source: website promdevelop.ru

But being on the list of leaders in gas production does not mean leadership in the global fuel trade. According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, only eight of them are export-oriented.

Rice. 2. Leaders in global gas trade, 2016
Source: website promdevelop.ru

Main mining areas

The map reflects the geography of distribution of the largest gas production sites throughout the globe. It is believed that there are 20 of these on the planet - the largest gas fields, with gas reserves of about 1200 billion cubic meters. meters.

• 4 in the US - in the Gulf of Mexico and Alaska;
• 9 in the areas of Western Siberia, the Far East and Sakhalin, the shelves of two seas - the Barents and Kara in the Russian Federation;
• 2 fields within Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf;
• 1 in the southern regions of Turkmenistan;
• 3 in Algeria and Nigeria;
• 1 in the Tari Basin of China.

There are also large deposits in the North Sea of ​​Norway and on the lands of Canada within the island of Newfoundland of the northern provinces, including the shelf of the Western Canadian Basin.

Of course, the main deposits are concentrated in the territories of the leading states in the extraction of this resource.

Rice. 3. Location of the largest gas fields
Source: website promdevelop.ru

According to information published by OPEC, all state-owned deposits have no more than 180 trillion cubic meters. meters of gas. There are at least 120 trillion more reserves that have not yet been explored and are inaccessible for global production due to too great a depth of occurrence. So the remaining reserves, in conditions when the consumption of blue fuel is constantly growing, will be used in the next 65 years.

Gas production methods

Natural gas is extracted from the depths of the earth using wells:

• under natural pressure (the removal of impurities in such a gas later takes place at a gas processing plant or at a special station);
• from coal mines (in the practice of working coal mines in the States to prevent an explosion);
• hydraulic fracturing (it is believed that this method can provoke an earthquake, therefore it is prohibited in some countries);
• under water (high piles are installed at shallow depths, floating piles at great depths, and semi-submerged platforms with a drilling rig in the center at especially large depths above 3000 m).

Natural gas production in Russia

The gas industry plays a strategic role in the Russian economy. And for its budget, the export of natural gas is included in the list of fundamental items. A large number of deposits of this combustible fuel, innovative technologies used on them, and extensive mineral reserves in the depths played their role.

Only now the history of the gas industry was not easy.

origins

In the absence of natural gas production in Russia, gas supply to cities before the revolution was carried out artificially. He received the name "luminous". It was obtained at gas plants by dry distillation from coal and used for domestic purposes and city lighting. The first such enterprise was founded in St. Petersburg in 1835, and raw materials for it were delivered from abroad. This is how the Russian gas industry was born.

In 1855, the German Bunsen invented a gas burner, and in 1865, a gas plant was built in Moscow, and in 1891 there were already thirty such plants in Russia, not counting 180 low-power gas generators. And yet it was much less than in the main capitalist countries of the world. There were about 600 gas works in the UK alone.

With the discovery of natural gas deposits, which are much more economical than artificial gas, the gas supply system had to begin the transition to a natural combustible resource.

The first discoveries were unsystematic. This is the release of gas with hydrogen sulfide together with water at a depth of 112 meters, when water wells were drilled in the Astrakhan region (1840). And the release of gas on the Apsheron Peninsula, in Saratov, Melitopol, etc. when drilling wells for water.

Oil production was gaining momentum, and along with oil, it had to come into contact with its constant companion - associated petroleum gas (APG). Boiler houses in Baku and Grozny were the first to use it as fuel in 1880. Petroleum gas gradually received more and more use for domestic and industrial needs.

Development of the gas industry

This is the name of the period since 1922, when the gas fountain in Surakhani was hammered. Baku oil-producing firms were found in Baku, which became interested in this event and began to drill wells for gas. Metal pipes were already used in industry, and here gas extracted from wells was supplied through them to refineries, where it was used as fuel in oil refining.

In the 1920s, in the young Soviet Russia, there were only 5 gas fields:

• "Dagestan Lights";
• Melitopol;
• Melnikovskoye;
• Stavropol;
• Surakhani.

They produced about 15 million cubic meters. meters per year. Then, after the Civil War, the planned exploration of natural gas began.

And artificial gas began to be used for heating, food was cooked on it. It (coke, blast furnace, generator) was obtained from brown and hard coal, oil shale, wood and peat.

And although the first gas and gasoline plant appeared in Baku already in 1923, natural gas was not yet appreciated. The situation changed with the creation of Glavgaz in 1933. One after another, new, purely gas fields were opened in Komi:

• "Sedelskoe" (July 1935);
• Voyvozhskoye (1943);
• "Nibelian" (1945).

In the Saratov region during the war:

• "Elnashskoye";
• "Kurdyumskoe",

And also in the Stavropol and Krasnodar territories, Kuibyshev, Orenburg regions, in the North Caucasus, Central Asia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, etc.

Even the first gas pipeline in the country (20 cm in diameter, 68 km in length) was built right before the start of the Great Patriotic War from the Dashavsky gas field to the city of Lvov, in 1943 - the Pokhvistnevo - Kuibyshev, Elshanka - Saratov, Buguruslan - Kuibyshev gas pipelines, Kurdyum - Knyazevka and others, and in 1944 the construction of the main gas pipeline Saratov - Moscow began.

It is not for nothing that the citizens of Saratov consider their hometown to be the cradle of the Russian gas industry. Firstly, it was here that natural gas was obtained in 1906, which became fuel at the brick and glass factories built by the owner of the farm, where the same artesian well was drilled for water. And the field itself was named Melnikovskoye (Dergachevskoye), only gas reserves have already dried up here today.

Secondly, the famous monograph of Academician I. M. Gubkin “Ural-Volga or Eastern Oil-bearing Region” appeared, and in its summary in “Technology of Youth” in 1939 this region of the Lower Volga region was called “Second Baku”.

Thirdly, with the launch in July 1946 of the main gas pipeline, the first in the country, "Saratov-Moscow", the history of "big gas" began in Russia.

Rice. 4. Give the gas pipeline!
Source: site ibirzha.kz

And even though it separated from the oil industry into an independent branch of the national economy only in 1956, the domestic gas industry has the right to consider July 11, 1946 as its birthday, when the natural gas that burned in the apartments of Muscovites replaced:

• 1,000,000 cubic meters of firewood;
• 650,000 tons of coal;
• 150,000 tons of kerosene;
• 100,000 tons of fuel oil.

The fuel industry of the country finally changed firewood, coal and peat for gas.

In addition, new, unique in composition and reserves, gas fields in Western Siberia were discovered. Their development was not easy: wetlands, permafrost, harsh climate

Rice. 5. The legendary gas project - the construction of the gas pipeline "Bukhara-Ural" 1961
Source: ura.news website

The year 1966 became a turning point for the country's economy. Soviet gas supplies to many countries began.

"Natural gas is widely used as a cheap raw material in the chemical industry and an economical fuel in the ferrous metallurgy and other industries"
(Published by the Central Statistical Bureau of the RSFSR in 1967 "RSFSR for 50 years").

The fields of Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan (Karachaganak field) and Turkmenistan played a significant role in the history of the Soviet gas industry. They are still among the largest today. But by the time of the collapse of the USSR, production in the territory of the former RSFSR reached 75% of the total volume of blue fuel produced in the country, and from 6.2 billion cubic meters. m increased to 727.4 billion.

Rice. 6. The share of the Russian Federation in the gas production of the USSR
Source: Rosstat (collections of the Central Statistical Bureau of the USSR and the RSFSR, Goskomstat)

The well-known crisis of 1998 did not pass the industry. The crisis has been overcome. A new joint-stock company Gazprom has appeared on the market, which is engaged in the production and transportation of gas in modern Russia, which today is not just one of, but also the largest player in the global gas production market.

Rice. 7. Gas giant Gazprom PJSC
Source: site contrpost.bosenko.info

The modern period of the gas industry is inextricably linked with this holding.

Modernity

The industry would never be as important and profitable if it were not for the huge reserves of said fuel on which it is based. At the same time, Russian blue fuel is currently the cheapest in Europe.

"Gazprom" called the current cost of gas production. Now it is at the level of $20 per 1000 cubic meters. m is the lowest figure in the world” (“Vedomosti”, June 2016).

Deposits and reserves

According to estimates, Russian gas reserves amount to about 200 trillion cubic meters. meters, and by 2030 it will be produced for more than 800 billion cubic meters. meters per year (for reference: in 2016 this figure was 641 billion), which allows us to meet our own needs, and export a significant amount of it.

Rice. 8. Natural gas reserves in the Russian Federation
Source: website promdevelop.ru

Western Siberia remains the leader in production. This is the main gas production area in Russia, the most important link in domestic gas production, where 90% of this combustible fuel is produced. If we talk about the Russian regions, these are the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug (4/5 of production is concentrated), the Astrakhan and Irkutsk regions, as well as the Krasnoyarsk Territory, etc., these are the shelves of the Barents and Kara Seas.

The largest in the world, even the most unique deposits are located on the territory of Russia:

• Urengoy.

  It belongs to the supergiant and firmly holds the third place on the planet. The volume of gas is 16 trillion cubic meters. meters - and this is only an approximate estimate. It was discovered in 1966, capital mining began in 1978, and appeared on the world market in 1984.

• Yamburgskoye.

  Among the world's largest deposits, with reserves of almost 8.2 trillion cubic meters. meters of gas, where it is produced in permafrost (40-50 m of frozen ground). It was discovered in 1969 on the Tazovsky Peninsula in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, commercial production began in 1980.

• Bovanenkovo.

  It is also not inferior to many world deposits. The volume is estimated at 4.9 trillion cubic meters. Opened in 1971 in Yamal. Permanent production started in 2012. Gas is exported mainly to China.

• Shtokman.

  It is considered one of the richest in terms of gas and gas condensate reserves. The volumes of gas and condensate are estimated at 3.94 trillion cubic meters. meters and 56 million tons, respectively. Discovered in 1981 in the Barents Sea at a depth of 300-400 meters, and already in 1988 the first trial production was made. It is planned to launch the field at full capacity in 2019.

• Leningrad.

  A gas condensate field in the southwestern part of the Kara Sea was discovered in 1992 and immediately rated as gigantic. The amount of gas in it can be about 3 trillion cubic meters. meters, condensate - almost 3 million tons.

• Rusanovskoe.

  A unique field in the Kara Sea on the continental shelf of the North-West Platform was discovered in 1992 at depths from one and a half to two and a half kilometers. According to estimates, the reserves are 779 billion tons of gas (it is assumed that this figure can reach 3 trillion cubic meters) and 7.8 million tons of gas condensate.

• Zapolyarnoe.

  Gas condensate field, the fifth in the world in terms of gas reserves. Opened in 1965 between Urengoy and the village of Tazovsky, put into operation in 2001. The reserves are estimated at 2.6 trillion cubic meters. meters.

• Bear.

  A unique gas field in the Yamal-Nenets region. Produces about 4% of Russia's gas production. Opened in 1967, and since 1972 - in constant operation, but only half worked out. Initial gas reserves are estimated at 4.7 trillion cubic meters.

• Astrakhan.

  Starts from 1976. Found near Astrakhan. The reserves are estimated at 2.5 trillion cubic meters. meters of gas and 400 million tons of condensate. Operation began in 1987. And the new discovery in 2014 in this region of another large gas field only confirms that there are still enough surprises in the region.

• Sakhalin-3.

  A promising project for the development and development of several large gas fields at once, which have been discovered in the Pacific Ocean since the late 1970s. The main ones are: Kirinskoye, Yuzhno-Kirinskoye and Mynginskoye. Gas production is planned at the level of 1.1 billion cubic meters. meters of gas. Initial reserves were estimated at 162.5 billion cubic meters. meters of gas.

We present to your attention a list of countries producing and exporting natural gas in large quantities.
10. Algiers. Gas reserves: 4.5 trillion cubic meters

Algeria ranks 10th in world gas production. The amount of gas in this North African country is 2.5% of the world's reserves. And half of this number is mined at the Hassi R'Mey field, located in the southeast of the country. Gas companies such as Total and Shell have been operating in the country for decades. Gas production is carried out by three plants with 15 production lines. Two of them are located in the city of Arzev and one in the city of Skikda.

9. Nigeria. Gas reserves: 5.1 trillion cubic meters

This country ranks first in gas production on the African continent. Also, it is a member of OPEC. And this despite the fact that Nigeria has a high level of corruption, political instability, a weak economy and a poorly developed infrastructure. Nigeria is a country very dependent on gas, because the profit from its exports is 95% of income in foreign currency. In 2010, Nigeria became a leader in the export of liquefied natural gas. After all, the volume of this exported natural resource is 21.9 million tons.

8. Venezuela. Gas reserves: 5.6 trillion cubic meters

The country's gas reserves account for 2.9% of the world's. But most of them are gas associated with oil. Most of the deposits are located in Norte De Pario (an area north of Trinidad and Tobago). But the gas sector in Venezuela is not very developed, which holds back its development. The main gas pipelines are owned by PDVSA GAS.

7. UAE. Gas reserves: 6.1 trillion cubic meters

Most of the country's gas reserves are located in its capital, Dubai. Oil fields are located there, there is a gas reserve "Khuff". In 1977, the first LPG plant was built in the UAE by ADGAS. It is currently processing natural gas from all oil fields in the country.

6. Saudi Arabia. Gas reserves: 8.2 trillion cubic meters

All oil and gas fields are owned by the only state-owned company in the country - Saudi Aramco. It has a monopoly in this area. In total, Saudi Arabia has more than 70 deposits located in 8 regions of the country. Currently, there is an accelerated pace of gas production. This is due to the diversification of the economy. The country, which is one of the leaders in the extraction of this natural resource, plans to increase gas to the world market. As for the mixed oil and gas fields found at the end of the 20th century, they are located in the oil fields of Kirkuk. Clean deposits, which make up 1/5 of the country's total reserves, are located in the Gavar oil field.

5. USA. Gas reserves: 9.8 trillion cubic meters

More than half of the country's gas reserves are located in just four states: Texas, Colorado, Wyoming and Oklahoma. Also, about 5% of the mineral is taken from the continental shelf, which is under the jurisdiction of the US government. The main gas producing companies of the country, which occupies the middle of the top leaders in gas production, are: BP, ExxonMobil.

4. Turkmenistan. Gas reserves: 17.5 trillion cubic meters

Natural gas is an integral part of the economy of Turkmenistan, which is one of the leaders in the extraction of this mineral. After all, most of the country's reserves are spent on its export. All gas is produced in one field - Galkynysh. According to experts, it contains more than 25 trillion cubic meters. A few years ago, the plans included a project to build the Nabucco pipe. But he died through the fault of the government of the country. And he had high hopes.

3. Qatar. Gas reserves: 24.5 trillion cubic meters

All LPG plants are located in the same city of Qatar - Ras Laffan. The first plant was built in 1996, and gas supplies began a year later. Almost 85% of the total gas produced is supplied to the European, Asian and North American markets. This became possible due to the favorable geographical position of the country, which took bronze in the ranking of the states that are leaders in gas production.

2. Russia. Gas reserves: 32.6 trillion cubic meters

Gas export is the most important part of the Russian economy - the leader in production in this area. The natural resource is mined in Western Siberia (Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug), in the Urals, in the Lower Volga region and in the North Caucasus. Gas reserves account for more than 60% of all Russian resources. The natural resource is transported through the Unified Gas Supply System and gas pipeline network, more than 140 thousand km long. The gas producer is the Gazprom monopoly, which provides 95% of the natural resource from all production in the country.

1. Iran. Gas reserves: 34 trillion cubic meters

All fields are located in the north of the country, which ranks first in gas production in the world, and on the shelf near the Persian Gulf. Foreign (French, Chinese, Belarusian) investors, who came to the country in the late 90s, work on the extraction of natural resources. True, they stopped their activities for a time when sanctions were imposed against Iran, but it seems that now they can return to the market again. The country's authorities plan to increase gas production to 1 billion cubic meters per day by 2017. All reserves of Iran are 18% of the world.

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