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