Northern Bear leads world natural gas output, exports

Gary Park, Petroleum News Calgary correspondent

Russia is the rapidly emerging world natural gas giant, leading the way in both production and exports, according to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy.

Total Russian production last year was 19.69 trillion cubic feet, bolstered by the start of production from the Zapolyarnoye field, and exports to 18 countries totaled 4.55 tcf.

In taking over top spot among producing nations, Russia bumped the United States to second place at 19.44 tcf, while Canada held third spot at 6.5 tcf, of which 3.86 tcf was shipped to the United States.

The BP review estimated Russia’s oil production surged by 642,000 barrels per day. The other leaders in the growth stakes were Canada at 168,000 bpd — although the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers put Canada at only 123,000 bpd — Angola at 163,000 bpd, Brazil at 163,000 bpd and the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan at 153,000 bpd.

BP said world consumption climbed 2.6 percent from 2001 to 9,405 million tonnes of primary energy use, dominated by China’s 28 percent increase in coal consumption.

Natural gas consumption rose 2.8 percent, including a 3.9 percent increase in the United States, but world oil consumption gained only 29,000 bpd to 3.25 million bpd.