Natural gas is, in many ways, the ideal fossil fuel. It is clean, easy to transport, and convenient to use. It is one of the most valuable fuels we have, yet for many years, it was discarded as a worthless by-product of oil production and was set alight at oil well sites - the large blue flame could be seen out in space.

Methane

Natural gas is made up mainly of a chemical called methane, a simple compound that has a carbon atom bonded covalently to four hydrogen atoms.

Methane is a colourless, odourless, tasteless gas that is highly flammable and reacts readily with oxygen - burning with a blue flame. There is no ash and very little air pollution produced after combustion.

Natural gas is very convenient for domestic use as it can be piped direcly to homes. Before natural gas was used for this purpose in the UK, coal gas (primarily hydrogen and carbon monoxide) was piped to houses. Therefore when the vast reserves under the North Sea were available the transport and distribution systems were already mainly in place. It supplies nearly half of all the energy used for domestic cooking, heating, and for fueling other types of home appliances. Because natural gas has no odour, gas companies add a chemical to it that smells a little like rotten eggs. The odour makes it easy to detect if there is a gas leak in your house.