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