In recent years, natural gas has increasingly gained in geopolitical significance. Gas is no longer a marginal fuel but a fuel of choice for many energy consumers. Driven by the availability of shale gas, the growth of the natural gas industry is firmly linked to growing demand in the power sector from non-traditional places like China, developing Asia and the Middle East, while traditional domains of North America and Europe maintain the most substantial absolute increases in gas use. Gas consumption has become more widespread as its transportation across vast distances has become possible through improved pipeline construction and as LNG shipped in large tankers.