Background

As the cleanest fossil fuel, natural gas will continue to play an important role in the process of reaching carbon peak and carbon neutrality. ASIACHEM estimates that China's apparent natural gas consumption in 2023 will be approximately 360 billion cubic meters, a year-on-year increase of approximately 8%. Synthetic natural gas (SNG) refers to the production of methane through the methanation of synthesis gas (CO+H2) as a replacement for natural gas. The raw materials can be coal, biomass, or CO2 and green hydrogen. SNG offers huge potential for green and decarbonized development of energy sector.

In May 2023, Total Energies and TES announced a US$2 billion investment in the construction of a SNG(e-NG) plant in the US. In November 2023, TES announced that it would invest US$4 billion to build a plant in Canada to use green hydrogen and to produce SNG.

China's first SNG project was completed in 2013. Using coal as raw material, the Phase I and II projects of Datang Keqi, Xinjiang Qinghua, Zhejiang Energy Xintian, and Inner Mongolia Huineng Phase I and II projects have been completed so far, with a total production capacity of 7.495 billion cubic meters. At present, the utilization rate of coal-based SNG production capacity has reached 100%, and the industry as a whole gets profit.

Policies are favorable to the synthetic natural gas industry. The National Pipeline Network Company was established at the end of 2019. NDRC issued the "Notice on Approving Inter-Provincial Natural Gas Pipeline Transportation Prices" in November 2023, which is particularly beneficial to the development of the SNG industry in Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia and other areas. At present, more than ten SNG projects including Inner Mongolia Huaxing, Xinjiang Energy, Qinghua Phase II, Henan Energy, and China Coal are advancing. With the upgrading of technology and industry, the development of green SNG comes at the right time. Such as exploring the complementarity of multiple raw materials and multiple gasification technologies, coupling green electricity, green hydrogen, CCUS and CO2 hydrogenation to produce SNG and LNG, etc.

2024 Green SNG Development Forum hosted by ASIACHEM will be held on March 29 in Beijing. It will discuss SNG industry policy trends, natural gas supply and demand, price and transportation prospects, progress of large-scale SNG projects at home and abroad, green technology integration and innovation, coke ovens efficient utilization of gas-to-SNG and LNG, coupling green electricity and green hydrogen to SNG, CO2 hydrogenation to methane, etc.

Topics

Topics

1. China’s natural gas and SNG industry policy trends under the dual-carbon background

2. Impact of the Russia-Ukraine war on NG: supply and demand, transportation, price

3. Overseas and China’s SNG projects & technology progress

4. SNG key technologies: air separation, gasification, purification and methanation

5. Focus on key regions: Xinjiang, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Shaanxi, etc.

6. Green hydrogen technology & coupled SNG engineering solutions

7. Development of natural gas pipelines and LNG

8. Biomass/coke oven gas production of SNG and LNG utilization

9. CO2 methanation technology and catalysts

10. SNG carbon neutral plant and CCUS technology

11. SNG’s water resources and environmental management

Program