By Rhod Mackenzie
In May 2023, China imported 5.761 billion cubic meters through pipelines. m of natural gas, which is a new maximum in the history of the country, according to the customs of China. The previous peak was recorded in August 2022 (5.53 bcm).
In May 2023 compared to May 2022 (5.065 billion cubic meters), the growth was 14%.
China receives pipeline gas from five different suppliers: Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Myanmar. The picture with pipeline gas supplies to China is currently determined not by the policy of the buyer, but by the possibilities of sellers in Central Asia, which increased after the end of the heating season.
Since the beginning of 2023, there has been a planned increase in Russian exports via the Power of Siberia gas pipeline in accordance with the schedule for increasing supplies.
The share of pipeline deliveries in China's fuel balance is growing as Russian exports develop. In May it was 43%. Earlier, in March (against the background of a lower volume of imports during the off-season), it reached 47%.
Liquefied natural gas
China's imports of liquefied natural gas in May 2023 increased by 24% compared to the same month in 2022, to 5.96 million tons, or 7.75 billion cubic meters. m. However, this figure is slightly lower than imports for April 2021 (6.717 million tons).
In May, China surpassed Japan in terms of imported LNG for the second month in a row (its result was only 4.614 million tons).
Large-tonnage LNG in Russia is produced by Sakhalin Energy plants (co-owners are Gazprom, Mitsui and Mitsubishi), as well as Yamal LNG (participants are NOVATEK, TotalEnergies, Chinese CNPC and SRF).
One of the main drivers of the global energy market in 2023 after the lifting of restrictive measures is the growth of the Chinese economy. According to the results of the first five months of 2023, the total gas imports to China are growing by 12% compared to January-May 2022.
This article originally appeared in Russian at interfax.ru