Natural gas

How it is used

In energy English often just gas: gas prices, gas-fired plants, gas supply. It arrives by pipeline or by ship as liquefied natural gas (LNG). Volumes are given in cubic metres (bcm, billion cubic metres) and prices often per MWh or per MMBtu.

Example sentences

1. High natural gas prices made coal plants more competitive last winter.

2. The new terminal can receive natural gas as LNG from several suppliers.

Common collocations

• natural gas prices
• gas-fired power plant
• natural gas supply
• liquefied natural gas

Related terms

• fossil fuelA fuel such as coal, oil or natural gas that formed underground over millions of years from the remains of plants and animals. Burning it releases carbon dioxide.
• gas turbineAn engine that burns gas, usually natural gas, and uses the hot expanding gases to spin a turbine connected to a generator. It can start and change output quickly.
• combined cycleA plant design in which a gas turbine generates electricity and its hot exhaust makes steam for a steam turbine, which generates more electricity from the same fuel.
• energy securityA country's ability to get enough energy, reliably and at affordable prices, without serious disruption from supply cuts, price shocks or technical failures.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

• natural gas · Oil, Gas & Mining

More terms: Power Generation and Power Plants

• generation
• power plant
• installed capacity
• capacity factor
• baseload
• steam turbine
• combined heat and power
• coal-fired
• decommission
• dispatchable
• ramp up
• commissioning