Domestic LNG production in China is expected to reach 7.5 million mt/year by 2015, from the current level of 2.5 million mt/year, the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Federation said, according to a report by Shanghai Securities News late Thursday.
More than 20 LNG plants are currently operational, with another 40 over plants still under construction, the report added.
LNG imports are also increasing as domestic gas production falls short of local demand.
China has five existing LNG receiving terminals, with another three still under construction, the report said. CPCIF expects an additional 17 LNG import terminals, with a combined capacity of 65 million mt/year, to be operational within the 12th Five-Year-Plan period, which spans 2011 to 2015.
According to Platts data, PetroChina operates the 3.5 million mt/year Rudong terminal and 3 million mt/year Dalian terminal. China National Offshore Oil Corp. currently has three LNG regasification terminals at Dapeng in Guangdong (6.7 million mt/year), Fujian (2.6 million mt/year) and Shanghai (3 million mt/year).
CPCIF committee director Guo Zhi-Gong said in an interview with the local media that developments in the LNG sector boost interests in other related fields such as LNG bunkering, cryogenic storage, natural gas vehicles and gas-fired power plants.
Gong added that LNG has always been used as a feedstock for the production of industrial chemicals, but with the focus shifting to low-carbon emissions, LNG has gained ground in the energy industry as well.
In August, the National Energy Administration introduced a series of standards pertaining to refueling stations for LNG-powered vehicles, which were officially implemented November 1, the report said.
