Natural gas plays an important role in the global energy system. Thus, optimizing trade in natural gas is a key concern for many countries. This study investigates the value of expanding the Gulf Cooperation Council's (GCC) natural gas grid. We consider the documented successes and failures of the regional gas trade in Europe and Asia and weigh them against a GCC case study. The case study uses a partial equilibrium model of energy production, trade and demand calibrated to 2018 conditions to assess regional pipeline gas trade opportunities. The model incorporates parameters that are relevant to energy policy issues, including fuel allocation and energy price reforms. We also incorporate the regional liquified natural gas (LNG) trade strategy of Qatar, a regional and global leader in LNG production and exports. We find that pipeline gas trade cooperation in the GCC can contribute up to $3.1 billion to the regional economy by reducing transportation costs. More accessible gas offers a substitute for liquid fuel consumption and can offset the opportunity costs of using domestic oil to meet domestic energy demands. We also investigate the influence of an integrated gas market and price reforms on the power trade along the GCC interconnector.

天然气在全球能源系统中发挥着重要作用。因此，优化天然气贸易是许多国家关注的关键问题。本研究调查了扩大海湾合作委员会 (GCC) 天然气网络的价值。我们考虑了欧洲和亚洲地区天然气贸易的成功和失败记录，并将它们与海湾合作委员会案例研究进行权衡。该案例研究使用根据 2018 年条件校准的能源生产、贸易和需求的部分均衡模型来评估区域管道天然气贸易机会。该模型包含与能源政策问题相关的参数，包括燃料分配和能源价格改革。我们还纳入了卡塔尔的区域液化天然气 (LNG) 贸易战略，卡塔尔是 LNG 生产和出口的区域和全球领导者。我们发现海湾合作委员会的管道天然气贸易合作可以通过降低运输成本为区域经济贡献高达 31 亿美元。更容易获得的天然气提供了液体燃料消耗的替代品，可以抵消使用国内石油满足国内能源需求的机会成本。我们还调查了综合天然气市场和价格改革对 GCC 互连线沿线电力贸易的影响。