[E&E seminars] Today - Leonardo Maugeri on the Future of Natural Gas

[Jameson Twomey]

All that Gas...

Leonardo Maugeri, Eni S.p.A.

December 14, 2009

Lecture at 3:00 PM

Room 66-110
Light refreshments to follow

Abstract
Natural gas was the poor cousin of petroleum for most of its history.  
Since the 1980s, however, things have changed dramatically. Today it  
is the fossil fuel with the rosiest future. In the course of this  
century, it may even become the first source of primary energy for our  
planet. Yet, several problems and questions weigh on its future.

Could the volatility of “boom-and-bust cycles” limit the investments  
available to develop it – particularly as far as unconventional gas is  
concerned?

With no global gas market, the developed structure is based on three  
major regional markets, each with different price mechanisms and  
features. Will future evolutions reinforce or upset this rigidity?

Some big producers, through the control of both production and prices,  
seem keen to use natural gas as a political weapon. Is this only  
temporary, or will it lead to the formation of a gas cartel – an OPEC  
of natural gas?

In the Middle East and North Africa, power consumption is booming, as  
well as the need to inject more natural gas into crude oil deposits to  
enhance oil recovery. How will producers resolve these dilemmas? Will  
their choice imply a major move towards nuclear energy?

Finally, will carbon capture and storage and future renewables pose a  
challenge to natural gas?

Leonardo Maugeri, Senior Executive Vice President of Eni S.p.A. and  
MITEI External Advisory Board member, will discuss these issues.

About the Speaker

Leonardo Maugeri is the Senior Executive Vice President at Eni S.p.A.,  
one of the world's leading oil and gas companies. He is a member of  
the board of directors of Eni subsidiary Polimeri Europa S.p.A.,  
Italgas, and the Mattei Foundation. A global expert on petroleum and  
gas, Mr. Maugeri has published widely on the subject, recently  
contributing the cover story of the 2006 special edition of Newsweek  
International devoted to energy issues. He is the author of The Age of  
Oil: the Mythology, History, and Future of the World's Most  
Controversial Resource (Praeger, 2006), in English and translated into  
11 other languages. Mr. Maugeri serves as an International Councilor  
of the Center for Strategic and International Studies and as a member  
of the Energy Advisory Board of Accenture. He is a Senior Fellow at  
the Foreign Policy Association, the Rand Business Forum, and MIT's  
World Economic Laboratory.
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