China energy:
- Consumption of natural gas in China is growing at 16.2% per year.
- Consumption of oil in China is growing at 6.5% per year.
- Consumption of coal in China is growing at 9.6% per year
* data from "Natural Gas Growth in China on Fast Track" article below
Why is natural gas consumption growing at 250% the rate of oil consumption? Because China's government wants clean air and what China's government wants, it gets. China has vast reserves of coalbed methane and shale gas.
The fastest energy growth play in China is CNER.OB. It is a natural gas infrastructure builder, operator, distributor, acquirer headed by a smart CEO with management background at Exxon, China Light & Power and the parent of Southern California Edison. Their customers are in the industrial, commercial and residential markets and the natural gas demand is growing fast. The following articles are background material on natural gas growth in China. These articles are published on Chinadaily.com, the website of the China government. You can see that China is pushing natural gas growth very hard.
1) Natural gas growth in China on "fast track"
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2010-03/29/content_9658332.htm
2) Natural gas now powering 75% of China's electricity generation
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-03/26/content_9644605.htm
3) China National Petroleum Corp (CNPC) hastens natural gas development
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/cndy/2010-04/01/content_9672116.htm
4) CNPC and Shell joint venture to develop 4000 sq.km of Jinqui block Sichan natural gas, CNPC and Shell joint venture to develop 4000 sq.km of Fushun block Sichuan, British Petroleum & Sinopec joint venture to develop shale gas
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2010-03/24/content_9634066.htm
5) Australian coal seam gas giant Arrow Energy acquired by PetroChina & Shell for $3.2B
http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/bizchina/2010-03/23/content_9627634.htm
long CNER.OB. Long term hold.