Natural Gas Distribution & Marketing Industry Profile

Companies in this industry operate natural gas distribution systems that serve customer locations, broker the sale of gas to distributors, and buy natural gas and directly distribute it to customers. Major companies include CenterPoint Energy, NiSource, and Sempra Energy (all based in the US); Centrica (the UK); Engie (France); GasTerra (the Netherlands); Gazprom (Russia); and Naturgy (Spain); as well as the natural gas distribution subsidiaries of US companies such as Dominion Energy and Duke Energy.

Global consumption of natural gas in 2022 amounted to about 4 trillion cubic meter, according to Statista. Natural gas consumption is projected to increase by 35% from 2020 to 2050 due to economic growth driven by exports and industrial use, according to the US Energy Information Administration. Growth in natural gas consumption is strongest in emerging markets, including China and India.

The US natural gas distribution and marketing industry includes about 2,600 establishments (single-location companies and units of multi-location companies) with combined annual revenue of about $101 billion.

Natural gas producers are covered in the Oil & Gas Exploration & Production industry profile. Companies primarily engaged in pipeline transportation of natural gas from production sites to distribution systems are covered in the Natural Gas Pipelines industry profile.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand for natural gas is driven by energy use, which in turn is influenced by overall economic activity. The profitability of natural gas distributors depends largely ...