Abstract

This paper maps out China's shale gas future and outlines some challenges towards its sustainable development. The Chinese policy agenda is driven by three factors in favour of shale gas development: energy consumption, security and diversification away from brown coal energy sources. In order to achieve higher economies of scale similar to the United States and to develop substantial amounts of gas, a higher intensity of development is needed. For large scale shale gas development to occur in China, market conditions and operational challenges will need consideration. Overlapping roles ...