China's Shale Gas Output to be 6.5 bcm by 2015

China’s shale gas output is expected to increase from practically nil at present to 6.5 billion cubic meters by 2015, National Energy Administration said earlier this week in 12th five-year plan for the development of the natural gas sector, ChinaScope Financial has reported.

The plan also said that China’s natural gas supply capacity is expected to reach approximately 176 billion cubic meters by the end of 2015, and the annual import volume of natural gas will reach about 93.5 billion cubic meters.

The proven geological reserves and recoverable reserves of shale gas will reach 600 billion cubic meters and 200 billion cubic meters by 2015 respectively. Preliminary statistics show that currently, China’s recoverable shale gas resources are 25 trillion cubic meters, equal to the volume of conventional gas resources.