Fujian's LNG imports in H1 hit 1.3 mln tons
Shanghai. August 30. INTERFAX-CHINA - Southeastern China's Fujian Province boosted liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports by 67.10 percent year-on-year to 1.32 million tons in the first seven months of 2011 due to booming natural gas demand, according to figures released Aug. 29 by Fuzhou City's customs office.
LNG imports over the period were worth $430 million with import prices averaging $322.30 per ton, up 12.50 percent from a year earlier, the figures show.
Indonesia accounted for the bulk of Fujian's LNG imports with 1.01 million tons shipped in the first seven months, up 66.60 percent year-on-year. Yemen ranked second with exports of 135,000 tons, up 110 percent on an annual basis.
Fujian Province has improved its energy mix in recent years by substituting natural gas in place of coal and oil consumption, the Fujian provincial branch of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said last month.
In addition, Fujian is home to three large natural gas-fueled power plants in the cities of Putian, Jinjiang and Xiamen. The three plants have a combined installed capacity of 3.50 million kilowatts and can generate 14 billion kilowatt hours of electricity per year. Rising fuel demand from the three plants also contributed to Fujian's surging LNG imports, the customs office said.
Putian in Fujian also houses the RMB 6.20 billion ($970 million) Putian LNG Terminal, where imported LNG from marine LNG carriers is unloaded.
The terminal is capable of storing 640,000 cubic meters of LNG before distributing it to major cities in the province through a 356-kilomter natural gas pipeline.
-WV