April 22 is World Earth Day, and the "Leaders Climate Summit" hosted by the United States also debuted here. "Low-carbon" has become a key word in addressing climate change, a common issue faced by all mankind. Russian President Vladimir Putin who attended the meeting put forward ambitious emission reduction targets, and the Chinese leader once again reiterated the "dual carbon" target. The chairman of the board of directors of Gazprom (hereinafter referred to as "Gazprom") stated that Russia-China natural gas cooperation has broad prospects.
"Gazprom" Chairman: China will become the most promising natural gas market
"Gazprom" board chairman Victor Zubkov is very concerned about the Chinese natural gas market. In an interview with TASS recently, he said, “China has become the world’s largest natural gas importer and the third largest energy consumer. China’s natural gas consumption is growing at a double-digit rate and may double in the next 15 years. China will Become the most promising natural gas market."
China's "People's Daily" reported that in 2020, China's natural gas imports will achieve a steady growth, and the sources of natural gas imports will be diversified. According to China Customs data, in 2020, China's natural gas imports amounted to 101.661 million tons, an increase of 5.3% year-on-year; the value of imports was 231.49 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 19.4%.
China's "dual carbon" target promotes natural gas consumption growth
The strong demand for natural gas in China is closely related to the national ecological policy. At the General Debate of the Seventy-fifth United Nations General Assembly in September 2020, China proposed for the first time that its carbon dioxide emissions should reach the peak before 2030, and strive to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality by 2060. On April 22, when Chinese leaders participated in the "Leaders' Climate Summit", they reiterated the "dual carbon" goal and stated that China adheres to an ecologically first, green and low-carbon development path.
China Petroleum Business Daily reported that carbon emissions are closely related to energy consumption, and more than 85% of carbon emissions come from energy activities. Therefore, the green and low-carbon transition of the energy structure is a key measure to achieve the "dual carbon" goal. China's "14th Five-Year Plan" clearly proposes to promote the energy revolution, build a clean, low-carbon, safe and efficient energy system, and further promote low-carbon transformation in industries, construction, and transportation.
Natural gas is a clean fossil energy, and its air pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions are much smaller than coal and oil. There is no doubt that natural gas replaces coal to have a positive effect on carbon emission reduction. In the future, the objective barrier for the continuous growth of China's natural gas consumption still exists, and natural gas will occupy a place in the future emerging energy system.
The Sino-Russian gas pipeline project "Siberian Force-2" is being planned
China's natural gas imports come from multiple sources, and Russia ranks among the top five in terms of liquefied natural gas (LNG) and pipeline gas. The natural gas project that the two countries are currently cooperating with is the Sino-Russian East Route Natural Gas Pipeline (Russian called "Power of Siberia").
China National Petroleum Pipeline Network Group reported that the northern section was officially ventilated on December 2, 2019 under the witness of the leaders of the two countries, and the gas supply period is up to 30 years. The middle section will be completed at the end of 2020 to deliver natural gas to Beijing and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. After the whole line is completed, it will be able to supply 38 billion cubic meters of high-quality natural gas each year.
After the project was put into production, China and Russia announced the establishment of a working group to jointly discuss another natural gas pipeline plan, which will transport Gazprom to China through Mongolia. The "Russian newspaper" website previously reported that Gazprom has begun to design the "Siberian Force-2" natural gas pipeline, with an annual capacity of up to 50 billion cubic meters.
Source: Chemical Network
