Letter from Dubai: Unsung hero gas finds its voice

No longer can the energy source be considered a sidekick to oil in the Middle East and neither should it step aside for less convincing alternatives

The IEA’s declaration of a golden age of gas in 2012 was predicated on the rise of US shale. The Paris-based organisation’s more recent proclamations that suggest this age is now ending, ushering in a new era of electricity, are also very Western-focused. For the Middle East, it is hard to separate electrons from gas molecules and, if anything, a ‘golden age of Middle East gas’ is only just beginning. The statistics make a pretty compelling case. Gas accounts for around 75% of electricity generation across the region, and it will comprise more than four-fifths of the power mix by the end of the decade. Meanwhile oil, which makes up some 20% of electricity use, is set to see its share fall to