Gas jostles for vital role in China’s energy mix
The fuel has lost ground to coal and renewables but is seen as key to balancing needs for energy security with long-term efforts to decarbonise
The role of gas in China’s energy mix is best described as complicated. The fuel is certainly important for the country’s immediate energy needs, but further out the case becomes blurry as dirty fuels such as coal dig in their heels for security of supply and cleaner fuels make a push to meet net-zero goals. But there is a strong case that gas would be a better bet in meeting these competing and contrasting energy goals. Near-term prospects for gas in China—the world’s biggest importer of the fuel—have not receded even as the country ramps up coal consumption and works to build a new energy system underpinned by renewables, industry insiders said at the China International LNG Conference &am
Also in this section
5 March 2026
Gas is a central pillar of Colombia’s energy system, but declining production poses a significant challenge, and LNG will be increasingly needed as a stopgap. A recent major offshore gas discovery offers hope, but policy improvements are also required, Camilo Morales, secretary general of Naturgas, the Colombian gas association, tells Petroleum Economist
4 March 2026
The continent’s inventories were already depleted before conflict erupted in the Middle East, causing prices to spike ahead of the crucial summer refilling season
4 March 2026
The US president has repeatedly promised to lower gasoline prices, but this ambition conflicts with his parallel aim to increase drilling and could be upended by his war against Iran
4 March 2026
With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed following US-Israel strikes and Iran’s retaliatory escalation, Fujairah has become the region’s critical pressure release valve—and is now under serious threat






