China Petroleum and Chemical Corp, or Sinopec, has ensured a supply of 21 billion cubic meters of natural gas during the 2023-2024 heating season, an 11.8 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Maximum daily gas supply reached 209 million cubic meters during the period, while the maximum daily gas extraction from storage facilities approached 32 million cubic meters, both hitting historical highs. This effort aims to fully guarantee the heating demand in the supply areas during winter, it said.

To enhance supply capacity, the company fully utilized storage and transportation facilities. The efficiency of LNG receiving stations in Tianjin and Qingdao significantly improved during the heating season with new storage tanks put into operation at the Tianjin and Qingdao LNG receiving stations, with a total storage capacity of 1.33 million tons, accumulating over 50 million cubic meters of natural gas exported daily.

China has been stepping up efforts to meet the increasing demand for natural gas, particularly during the heating months, as part of its efforts to ensure energy security and meet environmental goals.

Oil and gas production reached a record high in China last year, as domestic companies stepped up upstream exploitation and exploration of fossil fuels to ensure energy security, the National Energy Administration said.

zhengxin@chinadaily.com.cn