The world's oil majors, beset by intimations of demand for their favorite product leveling off, seek comfort from an invisible friend. Compared to oil and coal, natural gas looks less fossilized. Long-term outlooks routinely show demand rising while it flattens for oil and falls for coal. This makes sense: Gas is versatile, useful both as a source of energy and a building block for chemicals; plus, when burned, it emits less carbon. In an increasingly electrified world where regulations around pollution are tightening, gas should be a relative winner. Oil majors have adjusted accordingly: Clear Difference Natural gas has grown as a proportion of output for major oil companies over the past decade Source: Bloomberg However, their enthusiasm has, as so often, resulted in excess supply, especially of liquefied natural gas, expected to last through the early 2020s. And the long-heralded "golden age" of natural gas isn't a foregone ...
Oil's Invisible Friend