Natural gas demand to see huge growth this year

China's natural gas consumption will increase this year on the back of continued policy backing from Beijing, as part of a broader clean-energy drive to replace coal with natural gas and other efforts to reduce chronic air pollution.

The liquefied natural gas market in the country has witnessed a rapid growth so far this year, with the January-September period seeing a total consumption of 167.6 billion cubic meters, a 16.6 percent year-on-year growth, higher than last year's 7 percent, according to CNPC Research Institute of Economics and Technology.

The quiet period between summer and winter months has also seen a pick up in the Chinese natural gas market, while the peak season witnessed a more drastic growth, said Duan Zhaofang, chief engineer of the natural gas market research department of the institute.