China's natural gas output is expected to more than triple from current levels by 2030, matching domestic crude oil production, latest government estimates show.
The strong output growth for the clean-burn fuel, along with the development of other resources such as oil-shale and coal-bed methane, will form a key supplement to conventional oil resources.
By 2030, the nation's annual gas output will reach 250 billion cubic meters, or 225 million tons of oil equivalent, the Ministry of Land and Resources said. Crude production should remain stable at 200 million tons.
"This means oil and gas will start to play half-half in domestic energy output at that time," the ministry said.
China produced 69.3 billion cubic meters of gas in 2007, up 23 percent from a year earlier, according to the China Petroleum and Chemical Industry Association.
Meanwhile, China has 108.6 billion tons in so-called prospective crude reserves, of which 21.2 billion tons are recoverable reserves, the ministry said, citing results from a four-year nationwide resources assessment. Potential gas reserves are estimated to stand at 56 trillion cubic meters, of which 22 trillion cubic meters are recoverable deposits.
In a move to match international practices and help map out energy strategies more scientifically, China has revamped its reserve calculation method by classifying reserves more specifically, putting greater stress on recoverable deposits and economic viability.
Under the new classification terms, China's remaining economically exploitable oil reserves stood at 2.04 billion tons at the end of 2006, the ministry said. The reserves were about 11 times the 2006 domestic oil output.
The nation has 11 trillion cubic meters of recoverable coal-bed methane reserves, 12 billion tons of oil-shale reserves and 2.3 billion tons of oil-sands reserves, according to the ministry's figures.
