World gas supplies for the future: questions and answers

The abundance of the worldwide resources of natural gas and its qualities as a ''clean'' fuel make it a major energy option for the future. However, the increasing distance of resources in relation to the major consuming zones should bring about a considerable development of international gas trade and also a very substantial rise in the cost of future supplies to major markets. Whether these markets accept a new scale of value for natural gas in relation to other fossil fuels in order to ensure the economic viability of the formidable investments required in the coming decades is the most critical question of the gas industry. (author)