China LNG Imports Hit Record

China’s imports of liquefied natural gas jumped to a monthly record in November, as residential and industrial demand surged in line with Beijing’s drive to promote the use of gas rather than coal to cut winter pollution. Shipments in November rose 53% to 4.06 million tons compared with the same month a year earlier, according to data released on Saturday by the China’s customs bureau. That beat the previous record of 3.73 million tons set in December 2016, Reuters reported. Year-to-date, LNG imports were 33.13 million tons, compared with 26.15 million in the same period of 2016, pointing to 2017’s imports setting a full-year record. Gas shortages deepened in December, with some cities putting quotas on residential purchases and chemical plants in southern provinces shutting in order to cope with the supply crunch. Constraints on infrastructure such as LNG receiving terminals and storage facilities have meant China has limited space to further increase its LNG shipments, analysts said.