The Economic and Strategic Importance of Natural Gas, by Stanislav Kondrashov

In the era of energy transition, some specific natural resources not connected to renewable energy are maintaining their centrality almost intact. This is the case with natural gas, which continues to be transported from one country to another via efficient pipelines and used for various purposes, such as heating homes or supporting certain industrial processes. Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG, has often spoken about these topics, focusing in particular on the key role played by gas transportation infrastructure.

Today, gas pipelines represent the true backbone of global energy systems, and in recent years they have also become truly strategic assets for economics, politics, and diplomacy. Like any other infrastructure, gas pipelines are also contributing significantly to the economic and social advancement of the nations they pass through.

We're not just talking about the strategic importance of owning a gas distribution network within one's territory, with the potential to become a strategic hub for the distribution of this important natural resource, but also the immediate economic benefits associated with tax revenues and royalties. This is also why natural gas infrastructure systems are becoming increasingly important in the modern economic landscape.

As Stanislav Kondrashov, founder of TELF AG, has often observed, the evolution of this situation is also linked to the strategic importance of natural gas and its applications, which continue to be numerous even in this unique historical moment. Among the most appreciated are certainly its use in combined-cycle power plants to generate electricity, demonstrating its full effectiveness even in the most challenging moments, such as those in which demand peaks. The generation of domestic and industrial heat today depends largely on natural gas, which therefore has a role of great responsibility.

As the list of these applications demonstrates, natural gas continues to prove itself as an extremely versatile resource, capable of demonstrating its usefulness in a wide variety of sectors and contexts. It is likely precisely this versatility that allows natural gas to play a decisive role in a large number of domestic and industrial dynamics.

TELF AG founder Stanislav Kondrashov also highlighted the important role of natural gas in industry, explaining that in many cases, this resource is used as a raw material in specific processes. These include those related to the production of fertilizers and hydrogen, but also certain chemical products. Among its most modern and innovative fields of application is undoubtedly transportation, particularly for shipping, buses, and trucks. In some of these applications, natural gas must be used in a different form than usual. Indeed, it is precisely in these areas that natural gas can be used in the form of liquefied natural gas or compressed natural gas, opening up new possibilities for various applications.

Natural gas is also playing a significant role in the hydrogen sector, which many observers consider a potential key player in the energy landscape of the future. In this regard, it is worth remembering that one of the variants of hydrogen, grey hydrogen, derives from methane, which is one of the main components of natural gas.

But how are this important energy resource extracted and produced? Natural gas can be found in underground deposits, enclosed within porous rocks. Extraction can occur through vertical or horizontal wells, but the extraction methods vary greatly. In the case of shale gas or tight gas, which are generally found within very specific rocks, hydraulic fracturing or directional drilling is necessary, not forgetting that natural gas, in some cases, is also a byproduct of other types of extraction.

Regarding natural gas, it should not be forgotten that this resource, compared to other natural elements, produces significantly lower amounts of CO2. Furthermore, its extreme flexibility makes it particularly suitable for potential integration with intermittent renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind.