Natural Gas: Private Sector Participation and Market Development

"With abundant underdeveloped reserves of natural gas, this resource has the potential to play a large role in meeting the world's growing energy demand." Natural gas competes with other resources for use in power generation. In addition, its other uses have increased dramatically. Since it offers substantial environmental advantages over other hydrocarbon fuels, governments and investors are considering natural gas. This volume examines a range of issues relating to gas sector reform and gas market development. It also examines the reform experience in an array of countries. The last section reviews some of the commercial issues faced in expanding the role of gas, such as, the challenges of developing and financing cross-border gas pipeline trade and the difficulties of attracting investors to projects involving countries with high credit and currency risks.