China’s petroleum predicament
A mechanical digger levels the ground to build new oil reservoirs at an under construction PetroChina oil refining plant in the Shandong province, 1 September 2009. China remains far more dependent on the outside world for oil than for any other energy source. China imported less than 4 per cent of its natural gas in 2009, but 53 per cent of its oil. (Photo: AAP)

Author: Andrew Kennedy, ANU

If China’s rise is one of the most important stories of this century, China’s growing appetite for energy is one of its most striking subplots.

China’s energy consumption more than doubled between 2000 and 2009, and the country is now the world’s top energy consumer. Read more…