Nation to double natural gas output by 2015

The country aims to more than double its annual natural gas output to 160 billion cu m by 2015, and produce about 6 billion tons of oil in the next 30 years, or 200 million tons a year.

China wants to increase its annual production of coal, too, to more than 3.3 billion tons, said Hu Cunzhi, chief planner of the Ministry of Land and Resources, at a press conference yesterday.

That represents an increase of about 30 percent and 7 percent for coal and oil from 2007.