China May Rely on Imports for 38% of Natural Gas Needs by 2010

By Winnie Zhu

Nov. 27 (Bloomberg) -- China may need to rely on imports for 38 percent of its natural gas needs by 2010, the nation’s second-largest oil producer said.

The world’s second-largest energy-consuming country may use 120 billion cubic meters of the fuel a year by the end of the decade and its domestic production may reach 75 billion cubic meters by then, Xie Dan, vice general manager of China Petroleum & Chemical Corp.’s natural gas unit, said in the southern city of Xiamen today.

To contact the reporter on this story: Winnie Zhu in Shanghai at wzhu4@bloomberg.net