Gazprom expects growth in Russian gas consumption of 20 bcm by 2030 as result of gasification
MOSCOW. March 20 (Interfax) - Gazprom is sticking to its goal of achieving 100% of the technically possible level of network gasification by 2030, and is actively working with the regions via five-year programs, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Gazprom Oleg Aksyutin said in an article in the company's corporate magazine.
"It is expected that due to gasification and post-gasification alone, the increase in demand in the domestic market could reach nearly 20 bcm by 2030," the article says.
The long-term potential for growth in Gazprom's gas consumption due to the development of the gas motor fuel market, which has potential for both road, rail, sea and river transport, is estimated at 10 bcm.
In addition, the multi-component composition of Gazprom's resource base opens up opportunities for business diversification through the development of gas processing and the gas chemicals business.
Gazprom is implementing two new unique projects: the Amur Gas Processing Plant and a complex for processing ethane-containing gas near the village of Ust-Luga. The implementation of just two of these projects will triple Gazprom's gas processing volumes. Meanwhile, the total processing capacity of raw materials will exceed 150 bcm, Aksyutin said.
The company is guided by forecasts of growth in global gas demand, mainly due to Asian countries. "The demand for natural gas in the world will increase from 2022-2050 by more than one-third, which confirms the growing importance of this resource for the changing landscape of the global economy. The main center for gas demand will be the Asia-Pacific region, where consumption will almost double to over 1.6 trillion cubic meters in 2050, equivalent to the current consumption of North America and Europe combined. China will be the driver of gas demand growth in the Asia-Pacific region," the article says.
"Expected economic growth, combined with socio-demographic factors, will support an increase in energy demand of over 20% from 2022 through 2050 from 14.6 to 17.9 billion tonnes of oil equivalent. The structure of energy demand in the period under review will go through some significant changes. Shares of oil and coal will significantly decrease from 30% to 24% and from 26% to 13%, respectively. The share of renewable energy sources should increase to 17%, the forecast says. Gazprom believes it is important that natural gas take a leading position in the structure of the world fuel and energy balance by 2050, providing more than a quarter of the global need for energy sources," he said.
Gazprom also intends to create competitive domestic technologies in hydrogen energy. However, "the global transition to hydrogen energy is hampered by the lack of a global hydrogen market. Therefore, when developing hydrogen energy, it is important to assess all kinds of risks, observe the principle of technological neutrality, and proceed not from geopolitical preferences and popular trends, but from economic feasibility," Aksyutin said.