CNOOC launches 9th LNG terminal in Shenzhen

China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) has launched its ninth liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province to boost the supply of clean energy.

The new terminal, situated in Dapeng New District, is expected to supply some 17 million cubic meters of natural gas on a daily basis to north China this winter, CNOOC said Wednesday.

The facility is equipped with four 160,000-cubic-meters storage tanks and a specially designed berth for large LNG ships, and can handle 4 million tonnes of LNG a year.

"It will play an important role in ensuring the supply of clean energy, improving China's energy consumption structure, and increasing the inter-connectivity of its natural gas pipeline network," the company said.

So far, CNOOC has built nine LNG terminals in provinces including Guangdong, Fujian, and Zhejiang with a total annual processing capacity of 33.8 million tonnes.

According to an industry report, China is likely to become the world's largest natural gas importer by 2019 on domestic short supply, with imports expected to reach 171 billion cubic meters by 2023, most of which are LNG.