China May Open Shale Gas Bidding to Private Companies

(Beijing) – China could allow private businesses to bid for shale gas exploration permits, but not foreign companies, an official at the Ministry of Land and Resources said on July 18.

On the same day, the land ministry signed contracts with state firms Sinopec Corp. (SHSE: 600028) and Henan Provincial Coal Seam Gas Development and Utilization Co., granting them the rights to explore shale gas in China's southwestern regions.