Chinese Jiangsu Province's 1Q Gas Consumption up 20%
Jiangsu, China’s most densely populated province, consumed 5.3bn m3 of natural gas in the quarter that ended March 31, 2017, up 20% on year, the state energy bureau said.
Usage of gas in the power sector was 1.6bn m3, up 36% as the government discouraged use of coal for power generation.
Recently, the provincial government said the consumption of natural gas is expected to rise to 35bn m3 by 2020. The share of natural gas in Jiangsu’s energy mix is likely to rise from the current 6.6% to 12.5% by end of this decade.
The government wants to sustain conventional gas production from the Jiangsu oil field and carry out the exploration of unconventional natural gas resources in the lower Yangtze region. It is also looking to set up LNG storage facilities and promote LNG as transport fuel.
The government has said reduction of usage of coal is a “top priority”.
Shardul Sharma