Natural gas will become more “desirable” than other energy sources including renewables, nuclear and fossil fuels, Qatar’s Energy Minister said yesterday.

Speaking at an international energy forum in Singapore, Abdullah bin Hamad al-Attiyah said he was confident that global natural gas adoption would accelerate, mainly for price and environmental reasons.

“I’m certain that natural gas will continue to gain further momentum as a clean and secure source of energy,” he said.

“Coupled with the environmental regulations and emission reduction policies, this much cleaner fuel is becoming the most desirable source of energy for large-scale electricity generation worldwide.”

He said coal and oil use were unviable due to their detrimental environmental effects, while biofuels’ main disadvantages included high food crop prices, copious land use and excessive water usage.