China Announces Intent to Boost Annual Natural Gas Output to 600 Billion Cubic Meters

(Beijing) — China plans to increase its annual natural gas output to 600 billion cubic meters by 2030 in an attempt to reduce its dependence on burning coal for energy and follow through with its commitment to the Paris Agreement, the government said.

The government aims to increase the percentage of natural gas in total primary energy consumption to 15% by 2030. This will put natural gas third behind coal and petroleum in the country's energy use, according to a natural gas white paper released by three government agencies on Saturday.