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Prospects and difficulties for OPEC-style gas cartel
Natural gas demand growth has been increasing for the past decades. The us, China and India are becoming large gas importers, without mentioning the eu. The chase for cleaner environment drives developed countries into the "gas-or-nuclear" corner, and most of them go for the gas option, while their developing peers may not have a second option at all. The eu and the us gas production is declining, and they are becoming, therefore, increasingly dependent on imports. Most other big gas consumers are initially dependent due to not having their own natural gas reserves. In the meantime, the world leading gas producing countries already want to coordinate their actions. The issues such as gas pricing, directions of exports, coordination of volumes and new project development are in focus of their attention. The importers, on the other hand, have good reasons to be afraid of such alliance and the "gas weapon" – ironically, most of the major gas producers and reserves-holders are Middle-East Arabic countries, some of which are already members of oil cartel.