5. United States: the shale gas revolution

The increase in energy needs around 2005 is not confined to emerging countries: demand is also rising sharply in the United States (economic growth, wars in Iraq and Afghanistan).

Consumption of natural gas is also rising, and the United States is by far the world's leading consumer (figure 6 ). However, while production will continue to grow until 2005, enabling us to meet demand with the help of imports from Canada, a collapse in production is expected in the slightly longer term. Nearly twenty liquefied natural gas regasification terminals are planned to cope with the shortfall.