Significant proportions of the world's untapped reserves of gas and oil are located within the Arctic circle, new research reveals.

A study by a team of scientists published in the journal Science reveals that some 30 per cent of the world's unexploited gas is in the region, with 13 per cent of oil reserves also located there, news that could be of interest to those in the oil training industry.

Leader of the team of researchers Donald Gautier, of the US Geological Survey, reveals that the gas in the area is most heavily in the parts of the territory which belong to Russia, suggesting the European state's "strategic control of gas resources is likely to be extended".

"For better or worse, limited exploration prospects in the rest of the world - combined with technological advances - make the Arctic increasingly attractive for development," Paul Berkman, of the Scott polar research institute at the University of Cambridge, states.

However, a recent report by Business News Europe suggested that Russia's dominance of the European gas market may be under threat as German utilities provider RWE has made an agreement with the Turkmenistan government to help bring gas to the western market.

In addition to signing preliminary agreements on gas exports, the firm also announced that it had made a commitment to invest money in oil and gas training for those Turkmen workers specialising in the industry.

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