Chasing Chinese gas dreams
Both the country's unconventional production and reserves are set to soar
By late 2017, it was official. Sinopec has turned the Fuling field in the southwest municipality of Chongqing into the most productive shale gas area in China. According to a statement by the state-owned group, last year it drew more than 6bn cubic metres from the field, up 20% on 2016. That's below Sinopec's original target of 10bn cm set in 2014, but it's a lot more than almost anybody expected when production began three years ago. The result, demonstrates once again how quickly China can move when Beijing combines with industry to chase a goal considered to be in the nation's long-term interests. Learning from North America and Australia, where Chinese companies have stakes in groups spe
Also in this section
13 March 2026
Brussels is again weighing a cap on gas prices amid the Hormuz crisis, but the measure could backfire by deterring the LNG cargoes Europe urgently needs
12 March 2026
Emergency oil stocks provide a last line of defence to oil market shocks, so the IEA’s unprecedented 400m bl release represents something of a double-edged sword
12 March 2026
LPG could rapidly expand access to clean cooking across Africa and prevent hundreds of thousands of deaths from indoor air pollution each year, but infrastructure shortages and regulatory barriers are slowing investment and market growth
11 March 2026
Missiles over Dubai and disruption in Hormuz are testing the emirate’s reputation—and shaking the energy hub at the centre of the Gulf economy
