Javier Blas, Columnist

Qatar’s Gas Push Has a Hidden Motive — Murdering Coal

The nation is seeking to exploit the energy transition by boosting LNG production.

March 4, 2024 at 5:00 AM UTC

Javier Blas is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering energy and commodities. He is coauthor of “The World for Sale: Money, Power and the Traders Who Barter the Earth’s Resources.”

Every lump of coal displaced by gas molecules is a win for the planet.
Photographer: Sean Gallup/Getty Images Europe

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The energy transition will eventually be a zero-sum game — for one energy source to win, another must lose. The obvious battle is between renewables and fossil fuels. But even within the fossil-fuel camp, natural gas and coal are fighting for supremacy. And one nation is seeking to tip the scales in favor of the former.

Supporters of gas brand it a “bridge fuel” – a stepping stone to allow the world to decarbonize electricity generation by replacing coal-fired power stations with gas-fired plants.