Abstract |
There are numerous LNG terminal projects both planned and proposed in the coastal regions of China where the economy has been rapidly expanding. While the Chinese government has adopted a policy of siting one such project in each coastal province, a simple calculation indicates that, with construction of only about eight LNG-receiving terminals1, each with a capacity of about 3 million tons per year, this policy would give China a total of around 24 million tons in terminal capacity. Assuming that each of these projects proceeds to the second phase and is consequently expanded to around 6 million tons, the combined import capacity would be close to 50 million tons. Such a dramatic rise in LNG imports by a single country would have substantial impacts on the international LNG market. |