The chief executive of BHP Billiton reckons it is “unlikely” coal’s world dominance as a fuel will be shouldered out of the way by gas.

Speaking at a conference in Houston, Texas, Andrew Mackenzie (pictured) also suggested more than 70% of the world’s energy will come from fossil fuels by 2030.

He said: “Gas is expected to see the strongest growth through wider use in power and transportation. But the shale gas revolution is unlikely to go global quickly.

“And despite what many claim, we are unlikely to see gas replace coal globally at the scale and pace seen here in the US.”

Mr Mackenzie expected fossil fuels to stay “central” to the energy mix because their affordability and the “scale of our existing infrastructure make them hard to replace”.

He said: “The world will continue to rely on fossil fuels over the long-term because their continued supply is vital to the development that will deliver huge reductions in abject poverty and improvements to all our living standards,” reported the Climate Spectator.