Unconventional gas demand set to soar by 2020

Development of sector fits well with nation's move to use cleaner energy

BEIJING - China, which now relies on coal for around 70 percent of its energy use, will see rapid growth in the consumption of unconventional gas including coalbed methane, shale gas and flammable gas in the next decade, a senior expert said on Monday.

The country's consumption of coalbed methane is expected to be 23 billion cubic meters (cu m) in 2020, which would account for 0.7 percent of its energy mix, Zhang Hongtao, chief engineer at the Ministry of Land and Resources, told an energy conference on Monday.