Sinopec's Tianjin Terminal Starts Commercial Ops

Sinopec’s LNG terminal in Tianjin has begun commercial operations with a cargo received from Australia, the company said February 28.

The terminal will supply gas to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and Shandong, and is expected to effectively ease gas shortages in north China, the company said. Tianjin terminal has a capacity of 3mn mt/yr.

China’s LNG imports spiked to a record high in 2017 owing to a sharp increase in demand for gas from households and industry as government encouraged a switch from coal to natural gas to tackle air pollution.

Full year January-December 2017 LNG imports to China were a record 38.13mn mt, up over 46% on the 2016 volume. China has edged ahead of South Korea to become the world's largest LNG import nation, after Japan.