The first evidence found for the existence of natural gas has been recorded in the 6.000 and 2.000 BC in the area where now Iran is.
Scholars mention that the first to use natural gas were the Chinese around 900 BC and natural gas was being transported by pipelines made from bamboo. In Europe, natural gas was discovered only in 1659 in England.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the city of Fredonia in the district of New York has been lit by natural gas already from 1821. The use of natural gas continued to be limited though, since there was no way to transport over long distances. Over a century natural gas use remained marginal, with industrial development being based on coal, oil and electricity.
The transmission of natural gas by pipelines was developed in the 1920s. After World War 2 a period of extended natural gas consumption begun, that continues up until today. In 1950 natural gas accounted for 12% of the energy consumed on global scale, percentage that increased to 14.6% in 1960 and 25% in 1980. In 1960 the natural gas production worldwide was 470 billion cubic meters, whereas in 1979 had reached 1.459 trillion cubic meters.
According to International Energy Agency (IEA) estimates, after 2010 natural gas consumption will exceed the consumption of coal, and by 2030 it will be covering the1/4 of global energy needs.
