While Europe monitored its gas deposits at the beginning of September –at 76%, a breath to the winter that is coming-, at the other end of the Chinese world he wrote another story. Far from the preventive mentality, the Asian giant is extracting gas at an unprecedented rate. It is not just about filling warehouses, but about rewriting the rules of your energy safety.
The awakening of a gas giant. China was already a power in energy matters: storing oil and An undisputed leader in renewables. But now a new identity is carved: being a gas axis.
In just twenty years, Beijing has achieved what few believed possible: turning from an almost absolute dependence on imports towards unstoppable rising domestic production. According to analyst John Kempinternal gas production has not stopped growing at a rate close to 10% per year since the beginning of the century. The provinces of the Northwest –xinjiang, Shaanxi, Interior Mongolia– They have registered Even more vigorous increases, 13%, while the Sichuan basin, more mature, maintains a remarkable 9%.
Three main levers. The first bet has been the riskiest: getting where few arrive. The big state companies –Sinopec, Cnooc and Petrochina– They have reoriented their efforts towards wells up to 10,000 meters deep and the development of the complex shale gas in Sichuan. . It is not just a technical issue; It is a political strategy with a clear objective: to reduce the dependence of foreign gas, although that means drilling in hostile geological formations and a high cost.
The second lever has been geographical. Secondary regions on the Chinese energy map, such as Xinjiang or Interior Mongolia, They have become the new gas engine in the country. With the determined support of Beijing, these areas now concentrate conventional and unconventional gas projects, backed by a logistics network that connects them with the east consumption centers.
The third play has been geopolitical. China and Russia They signed a memorandum For the construction of the Power of Siberia 2 gas pipeline, an infrastructure that could inject up to 50,000 million cubic meters per year from Yamal to northern China. Although the price and calendar details are still on the table, the message is clear: Beijing ensures long -term supply, at probably lowered prices, and shields against the volatility of the global LNG market.
The numbers do not lie. Official data collected by the Xinhua agency They reflect this turn. Between January and June 2025, China produced 130.8 billion cubic meters of natural gas, 5.8% more than in the same period of the previous year. In June alone, production reached 21.2 billion cubic meters, with a growth of 4.6% year -on -year. The International Energy Agency (AIE) Recognize that gas Win weight in the Chinese energy mix for its flexibility and lower emissions against coal, although it warns that the country must redouble efforts to meet its climatic goals.
Meanwhile, liquefied natural gas imports (LNG) sink. According to the data of the KPLer consultant collected by BloombergLNG Chinese purchases will fall in September 22% year -on -year, up to 5.4 million tons. It is the eleventh consecutive month of descents. Reuters anticipates That total imports of 2025 could be reduced between 6% and 11%, weighed by a faster internal demand, the increase in local production and the largest flows by gas pipeline from Russia and Central Asia.
Infrastructure for Independence. China is not only extracting more gas; also has woven a colossal network submarinto consolidate its autonomy. The Asian giant already exceeds 10,000 kilometers of underwater pipes, a web that connects gas platforms, wind farms and refineries with the terrestrial network.
Emblematic projects such as the Bay of Hohai or the Deep field No. 1 symbolize this new energy border. These pipes transport gas and raw, and in the future they are called to carry hydrogen. The goal is not just technical; It is strategic: to ensure national supply and reduce exposure to international fluctuations.
Forecasts The IEA provides that Chinese gas consumption reach its peak by 2035, before stabilizing with electrification and renewables. In the short term, the demand will remain moderate: the lazy industrial growth and the impulse of domestic production could maintain the imports of minimums also in 2026. Meanwhile, investments in deep perforations, the offshore network and the Russian gas pipelines consolidate China as self -sufficient actor and strong negotiator against traditional producers such as the US, Qatar or Australia.
The new board. Europe keeps gas to survive winter. China, on the other hand, cava deeper to not need it. In just two decades, the country has gone from depending on metaneous cargoes to negotiate from abundance. If the plans are fulfilled – more national production, pipes until 2030 and Power of Siberia 2 operation in the next decade -, the global map of natural gas could definitely turn to Asia.
And the old continent, which today breathes relieved with its full reserves, could soon discover that the next energy crisis will not be decided in Moscow or in Doha, but among Beijing’s offices.
Image | Freepik
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings