The history of natural gas as a source of energy is relatively recent: between the late 18th and early 19th centuries, Europe and North America began to see an expansion in technology for transporting natural gas from the wells to areas of consumption, even at a great distance: LNG carriers, gas pipelines and methane pipelines.
The first rudimentary well meant for producing natural gas was dug in 1821 in Fredonia, New York, USA, after which the consumption of gas slowly grew, eventually being used for appliances, heating and industry. When, toward the end of the 1800s, electricity began to replace natural gas for lighting, producers sought new markets for gas and worked on developing high pressure pipelines and compressors that, through steel pipes, allowed for gas to be transported safely and efficiently in large quantities and long distances. The large-scale gas market was launched in the USA in 1925 with the implementation of the first long-distance, welded steel gas pipeline (over 300 km long), from Louisiana to Texas. From that moment onward, natural gas became in increasingly important reality and spread throughout the world, though with sometimes noticeable differences according to the development of the individual national economies. Large gas deposits were discovered, massive tankers crossed oceans transporting LNG (liquefied natural gas) from one end of the globe to the other and liquefaction and regasification plants were established. And history continues...

• Various sources have been consulted for this information, including newspapers, specialized magazines and online resources [last accessed 12 April 2023]
• Bridgman, Roger. 1000 Inventions and Discoveries; DOE (US Department of Energy); EIA (US Energy Information Administration); Encyclopædia Britannica; ExxonMobil, The Outlook for Energy: A View to 2030; GEO ExPro Magazine; LNG World News; NGSA (Natural Gas SUpply Association); Oil and Gas IQ; PennWell Corporation, Oil & Gas Journal; The Economist; The Guardian; United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division, World Population Prospects 2022; Yerzin Daniel. The Quest: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World;