Just as natural gas has competed with coal as the prime fuel for electricity in the last decades, renewables are putting pressure on the blue, clean-burning source of energy. The competition is fierce and will likely get worse. Yet, it is still too early to discount gas. This was the message at the 36th International Gas Congress in Croatia, where I spoke on Joe Biden’s plan to stop drilling on federal lands.
The International Gas Union (IGU), with over 160 members from the U.S. to Qatar, is a non-profit that advocates for natural gas as an integral part of the global energy system. The Vice President and the future (2025) President of IGU Andrea Stegher, a Senior Vice President Commercial & Stakeholder Engagement in the Italian energy giant SNAM, is convinced that the gas industry is facing a historic challenge but also a great opportunity. Gas was long hailed as a “transition” fuel from hydrocarbons to renewables. Given what we know about the state of technology and energy poverty around the world, gas should be around for many decades.
