F EA T URES
China’s energy strategy and natural gas development China has an energy blueprint which lays out a comprehensive plan for the world’s largest energy consuming market to 2030. By Bai Jun In June 2014, China’s President Xi
(2016-2030). The strategy, which
gas emissions, endangering public
Jinping called for a “revolution” in the
centres on how energy demand can
health and straining environmental
country’s energy sector, highlighting
be met and how energy transition will
sustainability. Soaring demand also
an urgent need for some fundamental
be guided, dictates China’s natural gas
complicated China’s energy security.
changes in a relatively short period of
development and its impact on the
time to address key challenges. As a
global natural gas market.
result, the government in April 2017
The Energy Revolution strategy came
China became a net crude oil importer in 1993 and within 24 years replaced the United States as the
published its first-ever long-term
as rampant consumption of energy,
world’s biggest crude oil importer.
energy blueprint – Energy Production
especially coal, led to rocketing dis
China now relies on overseas supplies
and Consumption Revolution Strategy
charges of pollutants and greenhouse
for over 70% of its oil consumption.
China began importing LNG in 2006 through the Guangdong Dapeng terminal (above) and piped natural gas in 2009 from Turkmenistan via the Central Asia-China Gas Pipeline.
28 China’s energy strategy and natural gas development
