(Yicai Global) Feb. 18 -- China National Petroleum, a state-owned oil and gas giant, will construct over 20 new liquified natural gas facilities and upgrade existing ones in the next decade to cope with the nation's rising energy demand. 

CNPC will build 23 storages and expand 10 of such venues by 2030 to reach a working gas capacity of 15 billion cubic meters, state-backed Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday. 

The move aims to meet the country's increasing demand for LNG, following a harsh winter that has caused a supply squeeze, the report added.

China's natural gas consumption surged in 2018, rising over 18 percent to 280.3 billion cubic meters from the previous year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission, a macroeconomy planning agency. The growth accelerated from the clip of over 15 percent logged in 2017.

Editor: Emmi Laine