LNG Imports up 25.4% to China; Pipeline Imports up 8.2%

China imported almost 85 billion cubic feet of natural gas via pipelines in November, up 8.2 percent year on year, data released by the General Administration of Customs showed Dec. 24. Imports from Myanmar totaled about 2 bcf, the highest volume since the Myanmar-China gas pipeline started up in early August.

China's imports from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are transported via the Central Asia-China pipeline network that links with state-owned China National Petroleum Corp.'s Second West-East Pipeline in western Xinjiang province. Gas imports from Kazakhstan are sent via a pipeline owned by private company Xinjiang Guanghui Energy. The spike in gas imports in November was mainly LNG, which surged 24.5 percent year on year, as three new import terminals started operations in the past few months.

Coupled with LNG imports of about 65 bcf of gas, China's total pipeline gas and LNG imports rose 14.8 percent year on year to about 150 bcf in November, roughly 3 bcf per day. China's demand for natural gas peaks in the fourth quarter and the first quarter of the following year because of higher winter consumption.

(arcticgas.gov, edited by Topco)