Will China and India really be big markets for LNG?

Coal’s resilience and a stronger push for renewables may dampen the countries’ enthusiasm for seaborne gas

ASIA’s two largest emerging economies are unlikely to become the heavyweight markets for liquefied natural gas that exporters hope. A combination of overcapacity and stranded assets in coal-fired power generation and a friendly regulatory environment for solar and wind will temper the need for imported natural gas. The two countries are shifting away from coal, but towards renewables. India and China are both strongly favouring the deployment of renewable energy, even as their enormous coal-fired-electricity sectors struggle with a glut of plants and falling utilisation. Plans for new fossil-fired units are being curtailed in an effort to cure the overhang of underused and even stranded asse