Chinese shale struggles to get moving

The Asian giant is having difficulties emulating the US shale gas revolution, but is determined to keep developing its own resources

Uncertainty over the future of shale gas in China is not just a concern for a gas-hungry country ever more dependent on imports. It also impacts the world's LNG producers, with China now their main growth market. The government's 2020 output target may look unachievable, and the challenges are immense — but one should not underestimate Beijing's determination to make a success of shale gas. In 2012, the government set a target of 60-100bn m³/yr of shale gas production by 2020. In 2014, that target was reduced to 30bn m³/yr . It now looks as though shale gas output in 2020 will be less than 20bn m³/yr. These disappointing numbers have led some commentators to question whether shale gas will e