Did You Know?
- Canada is the world's third largest producer of natural gas.
- Natural gas heats more homes and businesses than any other form of energy.
- Natural gas employs thousands of people in exploration, production, processing, transmission and distribution.
- Natural gas adds billions of dollars to Canada's trade balance through exports to the United States.
What is natural gas?
Natural gas is considered an almost perfect fuel: clean, efficient, safe, abundant and economical. In its most basic form, natural gas consists mainly of methane, the simplest of all the hydrocarbons. Because it is odourless and colourless, a compound called mercaptan must be added so the gas can be detected.
Where does it come from?
Natural gas is found in rock buried deep beneath the surface of the earth. The gas us created from the breakdown of ancient plant and animal matter. Wells drill deep down into rock to extract the gas, before sending it along a pipeline for processing and distribution to markets.
Does natural gas affect the environment?
Concern for the environment is often the reason people choose to use natural gas. It burns cleaner and contributes fewer pollutants than any other fossil fuel source. That's why natural gas has become an increasingly popular choice of fuel by consumers and industries.
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