, Columnist
China Chokes on Gas Price Controls
The U.S. can generate energy from gas more cheaply than from coal. It costs four times as much for Asia's biggest economy.
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The world is awash in cheap LNG, China's cities are choking on fine dust from power stations, and its government is in the middle of closing about 2,000 coal mines over two years. So why does the country still use so little natural gas?
While a flood of cheap, relatively-clean gas has damaged prospects for coal-fired electricity generation in the U.S. and in Europe, the same isn't happening in China. Imports of LNG actually fell last year, even if not quite as precipitously as the decline in coal shipments.