China will likely face a short supply of natural gas, as its demand for the energy is on the rise along with a fast economic growth, according to Han Dakuang, an academician from the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

No major breakthrough is in anticipation for China's production of natural gas in the short term, due largely to geological and technological limites, Han said here Thursday at a resources and energy forum of the ongoing 2004 World Engineers' Convention.

Official statistics show that last year China turned out 34.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas, as against verified reserves of 2.85 trillion cubic meters.

Han said that China suffered from an uneven distribution of natural gas resources, which concentrate mainly in the central and western parts of the country. But most consumers of the energy are from the eastern regions.

Han suggested efforts should be made to speed up construction of the west-to-east gas transportation project. Meanwhile, projects will also be built to pipe the country's offshore gas resources to the mainland, he added.

It is imperative for China to develop new technology to boost its natural gas production, Han noted.

According to data from the Chinese Academy of Science, China's energy consumption structure will change substantially in the coming 15 years, and the proportion of natural gas will rise from the current 2 percent to 8 percent or so.

Entrusted by the World Federation of Engineering Organization, the four-day world engineers' convention is jointly sponsored by the China Association for Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Engineering and the municipal government of Shanghai.

The Convention is due to conclude on Nov. 6.

Source: Xinhua