OREANDA-NEWS. July 26, 2011. China saw its output of natural gas increase 7% year on year to 50.5 billion cubic meters in the first half of this year, said the National Development and Reform Commission in a statement published on its website.

China National Petroleum Corp or CNPC, the country's largest integrated oil and gas enterprise, saw its natural gas output climbed 2.4% year on year in the first half and account for 75.2% of the country's total.

China Petrochemical Corp or Sinopec Group, the largest oil refiner in Asia, and China National Offshore Oil Corp or CNOOC saw their output of natural gas rise 26.6% and 19.9% year on year, and account for 14.2% and 10.6% of the country's total, respectively.

During the period from January to June, China's natural gas imports doubled to 14.1 billion cu m, accounting for 22.4% of the country's total consumption. The imports of natural gas from Central Asia were 6.9 billion cu m, and the imports of liquefied natural gas were 7.2 billion cu m.
 
China's apparent consumption of natural gas was 63.1 billion cu m in the first half, up 21% year on year.