China's share in global gas consumption rises

Driven by government's environmental policies encouraging coal-to-gas switching，China contributed 32.6 percent of global gas consumption growth in 2017, becoming the single biggest factor fueling global gas consumption, according to new data released in Jinan, capital city of Shandong province, by the oil company BP in its latest Statistical Review of World Energy.

Last year was a strong year for natural gas with consumption growing three percent and production rising four percent - the fastest growth rates since 2010, the review said.

The review said global renewable energies consumption was led by China, which accounted for 36 percent of global renewable energies consumption growth.

More countries continued to push forward the transition to a lower carbon economy in 2017.

Last year primary energy consumption growth averaged 2.2 percent in 2017, the fastest since 2013.

But carbon emissions from energy consumption increased 1.6 percent after little or zero increase for the three years from 2014 to 2016.

Bob Dudley, BP Group CEO, said, "2017 was a year where structural forces in the energy market continued to push forward the transition to a lower carbon economy, but where cyclical factors have reversed or slowed some of the gains from prior years. These factors, combined with rising demand for energy, have resulted in a material increase in carbon emissions.”

“China plays a critical role in the world’s low-carbon transition,” said Yang Xiaoping, BP China president. “BP is committed to actively continuing our efforts to support China’s overall construction of a low-carbon, clean, safe and efficient energy system.”