The Middle East forges ahead in the race to dominate global gas supply

With the Middle East experiencing the highest growth in gas output of any region globally, the race is on for global gas domination.

By 2030, we expect natural gas production across the Middle East to have more than doubled in two decades to 98 bcfd from about 45 bcfd in 2010. This means the region will account for 23% of global sales gas by 2030, second only to North America, at 32%. Production will flow from conventional onshore and offshore gas fields, as well as unconventional and sour gas resources.

Ahead of the ADIPEC Exhibition and conference on 3-6 November in Abu Dhabi, Wood Mackenzie’s analysts have taken a deep dive into the Middle East’s massive gas drive, looking at regional investment, infrastructure, markets, demand, pricing and more.

Read on for a brief overview of the scale of natural gas resources in the Middle East, and complete the form above to access detailed expert analysis and key charts from this report.

Who has what where?

The Middle East is home to 40% of the world’s gas resources. It has the world’s second-largest 2P reserves after North America, with Qatar holding the top spot in terms of 2P+2C r resources ahead of the United States and Russia. What is more, most of Qatar’s gas remains undeveloped due to strategic resource management, careful consideration of global market dynamics and the significant investment and infrastructure required for extraction and export.

The region’s gas landscape features giant fields, large-scale processing and global export reach. Its gas infrastructure spans close to 200 fields under production, a further 26 fields approved for development, over 65 operational gas-processing plants, more than 55,000 km of pipeline, 19 operational and 11 approved liquified natural gas (LNG) trains, and 4 regasification terminals.

Saudi Arabia leads in terms of gas value – mainly driven by associated liquids – and is growing production massively along with Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE)and Iraq. Iran, in contrast, is slowing. Conventional onshore and offshore still lead production, but unconventionals and sour gas are gaining momentum.

National oil companies dominate gas ownership, with the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC), Saudi Aramco and QatarEnergy owning a combined 70% of production in the region. The Majors have just 10%, with a significant concentration in Qatar’s LNG projects. For ExxonMobil, TotalEnergies and Shell, Qatar is at the heart of their gas portfolios; for BP, the focus is Oman with the Khazzan project.

Fill in the form above to read how the Middle East is out-investing the rest of the world while navigating rising risks and uncertainties.