People’s Daily: China aims for huge output of shale gas after 2015

China plans to begin large-scale production of its shale gas deposits after 2015 when a solid foundation for developing the unconventional fuel is laid then, accoding to the nation's energy chief yesterday.

This means the government is not in a rush to extricate the fuel, tightly trapped in rock formations, as it has first to study the exploration expertise by cooperating with foreign partners in projects both hom and abroad.

China cliams to possess the world's largest shale gas reserves, doubling those of the US where advnaces in produciton techniques have ended America's dependence on gas imports.  The Ministry of Land and Resources, in its first official estimate of shale gas reserves, early this month said CHina holds 25.08 trillion cubic meters of technically recoverable deposits, enough in theory to meet China's needs for two centuries based on current consumption.  MORE