China green measures seen boosting natural gas use
Reuters News ServiceChina's consumption of natural gas, which reached 20.5 billion cubic metres (718 billion cubic feet) last year, would be increased both to ease pollution caused by heavy use of coal in urban centres and to reduce pressure on its oil stocks, petrochemical bureau official Chen Yongwu was quoted as saying.
He said natural gas use in China was currently focused in fertiliser production, but would be expanded across a wide range of industrial sectors and into homes.
The Business Weekly quoted Chen as saying China would import natural gas to meet the growing needs.
State media reported on Saturday that China would slash tariffs on crude oil and natural gas imports after it joins the World Trade Organisation, with duties on imports of fuel oil and various petroleum products falling to about six percent over a one-to two-year period.
Chen gave no figures for import plans, but said feasibility studies were under way for projects to pump Russian gas to northern China and Shanghai and to deliver liquefied natural gas from the Middle East to Guangzhou.
The State Statistical Bureau said China produced 20.136 billion cubic metres of natural gas in the first 10 months of this year, 8.51 percent more than in the same period of 1998.