GreenergyDaily

Oct. 21, 2025

Chinese demand for seaborne gas is poised to remain tepid through the winter, as ample supplies blunt the usual surge in consumption at the end of the year, according to Bloomberg.

Imports of liquefied natural gas plunged 15% year-on-year in September, an 11th straight monthly decline. They’ve fallen 17% over 2025 so far, replaced by cheaper fuel arriving via pipeline or produced locally, and an abundance of other power sources like coal, solar and hydro.

A poor winter for LNG demand could come with a silver lining, however, if it gives importers the upper hand in price negotiations with squeezed producers down the line, according to analysts and executives, who spoke on condition of anonymity when discussing commercial matters.

That could help put the industry on a more sustainable path, the people said, at a time when the global market is becoming increasingly oversupplied and China is still building import capacity.

The National Energy Administration expects the world’s biggest consumer of the fuel to record its slowest-ever demand growth of just 2%-3% this year. All of that will be met by the increased volumes being drilled domestically, or piped overland from Russia and Central Asia, the people said.