China's Gas Consumption to Top 260 bcm by 2015

China’s natural gas consumption is likely to cross 260 billion cubic meters by 2015 which will lead to rapid rise in imports of this energy source.

Media reports citing a government five year plan said that natural gas consumption will account for 8 per cent of total primary energy consumption in China by 2015. This is almost double the current share of 4 per cent.

By 2015, China will produce some 170 billion cubic meters of natural gas, with a gap of some 90 billion cubic tons that need to be imported, Global Times said citing data from C1 Energy.  By 2015 nearly 32 percent of natural gas consumption will rely on imports, up from the current 21.56 percent.

At present China mainly imports natural gas from Central Asian countries, and also imports some liquefied natural gas from Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia and Qatar.