China NDRC: natural gas apparent consumption at 10.3bln cu.m in February

China's apparent consumption of natural gas stood at 10.3 billion cubic meters in February 2011, about 1.1 billion cubic meters less than that in January, as the weather became warmer in the month, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's top economic planner, said on March 16,2011.

NDRC said in a statement on its website that the Chinese capital Beijing consumed 1.12 billion cubic meters of natural gas in February, down 19 percent month on month. According to the top economic planner, China's natural gas output hit 8.6 billion cubic meters in Feb., up 10.8 percent year on year, while the output in the first two months in 2011 reached 18.

2 billion cubic meters, up 11.8 percent on year. The natural gas imports were 1.65 billion cubic meters in Feb., up 130 percent year on year, including 910 million cubic meters imported from Central Asian countries and LNG imports of 740 million cubic meters.