**2. Natural gas consumption in the world**

The International Energy Agency, in its 2021 Q1 Quarterly Report, estimates that global gas demand fell by 2.5% or 100 billion cubic meters (bcm) in 2020, the largest decline on record. This was due to slowing economies, resulting in lower energy intake. The other interesting development in 2020 was that natural gas prices reached historic lows and had high volatility [1]. However, the report presents the positive part, that is, it forecasts that global natural gas demand will grow by 2.8% in 2021 (about 110 bcm), slightly above the 2020 decline, allowing a return to 2019 levels.
