BP predicts natural gas will pass coal and oil to be number one energy source by 2040

BP predicts natural gas (and biogas) to overtake oil as the world’s primary energy source in around 2040 as demand for the least polluting fossil fuel grows.

VP Dominic Emery highlighted estimates for demand growth for gas in China of around 15 percent year-on-year last year and said BP expects overall gas demand to grow around 1.6 percent a year for years to come, compared with 0.8 percent for oil.

Gas will pass coal for second place in the early 2030s and gas will overtake oil after 2040 to become the top world fuel.

The gas industry must reduce methane leakages from pipelines, which are estimated at around 1.3 to 1.4 percent. However, once (methane leakage) exceeds 3 percent it means that gas, is actually worse than coal from a (greenhouse gas) perspective.