This collection of articles investigates the structural and economic barriers that prevent natural gas from achieving a unified, global market comparable to oil or coal. Robert Mabro, a prominent energy economist and former director of the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, compiles expert analyses to address why gas trade remains fragmented despite its significant role in global consumption. The text examines the interplay between high capital expenditure requirements, technical supply rigidities, and the complexities of long-term contractual enforcement in the energy sector.

Experts recognize this volume as a foundational text for understanding the historical and economic constraints of the international gas trade. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which provides a rigorous framework for analyzing energy policy and market development.