Turkmenistan is major pipeline gas exporter to China in 2017, demand for natural gas goes up
China's demand for natural gas has grown by 16.8 % during H1 of 2018, says the National Energy Administration, mentioning that investment in gas-related utilities increased by 10.2% for the same period. The International Energy Agency’s recent report “Gas 2018” said that Chinese demand for natural gas will climb by almost 60% between 2017 and 2023 to 376 billion cubic metres. According to the report, in 2019 China will rank the world’s largest importer of gas outrunning Japan. Moreover, earlier this month, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences predicted that has demand will reach 520 bcm in 2030 and 800 bcm in 2050 per annum. In 2017, gas consumption in PRC grew by 15.3% to 237.3 billion cubic meters (bcm), reported National Development and Reform Commission, China's top economic regulator. Imports increased by 8.8% up to 41.69 bcm as compared to 2016. Turkmenistan became the largest exporter of pipeline gas in 2017. China Daily quotes Li Fulong, head of the Development Planning Department of the administration as saying the nation has been stepping up supplies of natural gas from home and abroad, with incremental supply in 2018 witnessing substantial growth compared with the same period last year, especially in the regions with severe air pollution. Many regions are shifting to natural gas for heating as China aims to replace coal with cleaner fuel to fight air pollution, especially in northern provinces, which has helped to drive up consumption of natural gas, the official said.
