Development, challenges and strategies of natural gas industry under carbon neutral target in China

In the mid-21st century, natural gas will enter its golden age, and the era of natural gas is arriving. This paper reviews the development stages of global natural gas industry and the enlightenment of American shale gas revolution, summarizes the development history and achievements of the natural gas industry in China, analyzes the status and challenges of natural gas in the green and low-carbon energy transition, and puts forward the natural gas industry development strategies under carbon neutral target in China. The natural gas industry in China has experienced three periods: start, growth, and leap forward. At present, China has become the fourth largest natural gas producer and third largest natural gas consumer in the world, and has made great achievements in natural gas exploration and development theory and technology, providing important support for the growth of production and reserves. China has set its goal of carbon neutrality to promote green and sustainable development, which brings opportunities and challenges for natural gas industry. Natural gas has significant low-carbon advantages, and gas-electric peak shaving boosts new energy development; the difficulty and cost of development are more prominent. For the national energy security and harmonious development between economy and ecology under the carbon neutral goal, based on the principle of “comprehensive planning, technological innovation, multi-energy complementarity, diversified integration, flexibility and efficiency, optimization and upgrading”, the construction of the production-supply- storage-marketing system has to be improved so as to boost the development of the natural gas industry. First, it is necessary to strengthen efforts in the exploration and development of natural gas, making projects and arrangement in key exploration and development areas, meanwhile, it is urgent to make breakthroughs in key science theories and technologies, so as to increase reserve and production. Second, it should promote green and innovative development of the natural gas by developing new techniques, expanding new fields and integrating with new energy. Third, there is a demand to realize transformation and upgrading of the supply and demand structure of natural gas by strengthening the layout of pipeline gas, liquefied natural gas and the construction of underground gas storage, establishing reserve system for improving abilities of emergency response and adjustment, raising the proportion of natural gas in the primary energy consumption and contributing to the transformation of energy consumption structure, realizing low-carbon resources utilization and clean energy consumption.