China Q1 Gas Consumption Up 1.6%
China's natural gas consumption in the first three months of the year increased 1.6% yr.yr to 78.5bn m3, the National Development and Reform Commission said on April 30.
Production during the quarter was 47.8bn m3, up 7.9% yr/yr. Earlier this month, China’s customs department data showed that the country’s gas imports via pipeline and in the form of LNG during the first three months of the year were up 1.8% yr/yr, marking a significant slowdown in growth, due to the Covid-19 pandemic's impact on demand.
China imported 24.66mn metric tons of gas in the quarter, against 24.21mn mt in the same period of last year, customs department data published April 14 showed. In contrast, Chinese gas imports surged 17.8% yr/yr in the first quarter of 2019.