Platts: China's March Natural Gas Pipeline Imports Rise 41.3% on Year to 2.73 Bcm

China imported 1.98 million mt of natural gas via pipeline in March, 41.3% higher than the same month last year, detailed data from the General Administration of Customs showed Thursday.

The customs department reports natural gas trade data in metric tons, similar to LNG imports. March's pipeline imports equate to about 2.73 Bcm.

The increase was largely due to a 26.3% increase in inflows from Turkmenistan to 1.57 million mt.

China National Petroleum Corp. is responsible for importing gas from Turkmenistan's state-owned Turkmengas under a long-term deal expected to hit 65 Bcm/year by 2020. MORE