Updated on Friday, April 20, 2007, 00:00 IST

Beijing, April 20: China's gas consumption will rise to 100 billion cubic meters by 2010, almost double the figure for last year and well beyond domestic production.

China might produce 100 billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2020, but consumption will increase by 11 per cent to 13 per cent to reach 200 billion cubic meters by that time, and almost half would have to be imported, shanghai securities news reported, quoting the 2007 china energy development report.

The report, published by the Social Science Publishing House of China, says the national gas pipeline network will cover 270 cities and by 2050 about 65 per cent of cities will have access to gas supply.

Total national energy consumption in 2006 included 2.37 billion tonnes of coal, up 9.6 per cent year on year; 320 million tonnes of crude oil, up 7.1per cent; and 55.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas, up 19.9 per cent.

The government is considering energy price reform to encourage efficient energy use by companies and the public.

As the world's third largest oil importer after the United States and Japan, China imported record-high 36.38 million tonnes of refined oil last year, 15.7 per cent up on 2005, to fuel an estimated annual economic growth of 10.7 per cent.

Bureau Report