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Natural gas is an efficient, easy to use fuel. There are abundant resources, and advances in technology have brought increased supply and lower costs.

China is a country rich in coal but lacking in oil. For many years, coal has held the leading position in the country’s energy mix, while petroleum and natural gas consumption has been low.

Unlike coal and oil, natural gas does not have an exclusive niche. Analysis of international experiences has found that growth in natural gas consumption in other countries has come about largely as a result of substituting gas for other fuels.

Natural gas, as a clean energy source, can reduce the economic losses caused by environmental pollution from coal and petroleum. Based on international experience of natural gas consumption development, it is clear that, while natural gas lacks an obvious price advantage and has even higher direct costs, it is still an effective substitute for other energy sources.

This section explores various aspects of the development of industry and the economy, and the changes in supply and demand of different energy sources, considered in combination with projected changes in economic growth, advances in technology and shifts in industrial structure. The aim is to determine the medium- to long-term demand and supply of natural gas and other energy sources in China.

Before the Shaan-Jing natural gas pipeline began operation in 1997, China’s only gas pipeline to reach a length of over 350 km was the Hong Kong offshore gas pipeline (Yacheng–Hong Kong, 778 km). Owing to the lack of cross-regional gas pipelines, natural gas in China was characterised by being produced in nearby fields. At that time, the two most important markets for natural gas were Sichuan and the North East. The Sichuan Basin has a long history of developing natural gas and already has a highly developed network of pipelines. The North East gas fields can produce high-quality oil-associated gas. The main uses of natural gas are primarily in the chemical industry, where it is used to produce methanol and fertilisers.

According to estimates of China’s natural gas resources, China’s conventional and low-permeability natural gas geological resource volume amounts to 68 trillion m, of which 40 trillion m is technically recoverable.

This section analyses potential future changes in international natural gas market supply and demand and the available natural gas import volume for China, as well as what reasonable measures China should take, including suitable policy adjustments, to promote its own natural gas supply and demand security.

Since the West-East Pipeline began operating in 2004, China’s natural gas infrastructure has developed rapidly.

Natural gas security is one of the core components of energy security, and is an important component part of national security. Experience in many nations has shown that the establishment of a robust natural gas storage and peak shaving system is an effective means to address short-term and mid-term natural gas supply halts and to ensure natural gas industry stable operation as well as stability in the economy and society itself.