The forested province is quickly transforming into a hydrocarbon powerhouse, thanks to the world’s almost insatiable demand for natural gas. Long a minor player in the global energy trade, British Columbia is expected to hit 10.6 billion cubic feet a day of gas production by 2030, according to an estimate from Martin King, RBN Energy’s managing director of North America energy market analysis. That’s a 41% increase from current levels and would put the province ahead of energy giants such as Algeria, Turkmenistan and the United Arab Emirates. By 2031, King says, British Columbia’s gas output will match (then ultimately surpass in a few years) that of neighboring Alberta, long Canada’s leading energy producer.