China to intensify efforts to explore for shale gas

China will intensify its efforts to explore for shale gas to help restructure the country's energy supplies and fuel its economic growth, China's Ministry of Land and Resources said. The deputy director of the ministry's geological exploration department said that China has 25.08 trillion cubic meters of exportable shale gas reserves (excluding Qinghai and Tibet), according to China's (Xinhua) News Agency. Shale gas resources are widely dispersed over the country. More than 420 researchers from oil companies, colleges and geological exploration agencies and research institutions participated in a survey showed that the Sichuan Basin, the Ordos Basin, the Tarim Basin, the western Hubei-Eastern Chongqing area, and the provinces of Guizhou and Hunan boast huge stores of the substance. The government has strengthened the survey and appraisal of shale gas in recent months to speed up the development of the industry.