Nigeria accounts for around 3% of the world’s proven natural gas reserves, making it the 9th largest country in terms of reserves.The country exports about 30% of the gas that it produces.
Oil and gas production in Nigeria started in 1958 but increased significantly in the 1970s. Presumably this was at the point of the Oil Crisis (about the same time as this stamp) when new sources of oil were highly attractive and when natural gas started to come into its own. If you’d like to know more the link below will give you some history, particularly around gas flaring…
Natural gas consists primarily of methane along with a heady cocktail of alkaline, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, hydrogen sulphide or helium, depending where you’re getting it from. The list of by-products from processing natural gas for use in energy networks is included in the Wikipedia link below and is quite alarming. It strikes me that the phrase “natural gas” is one of those lovely bits of branding by Big Oil companies to create the impression of bucolic meadows and vast wildernesses…
Stamp of the Day 