Read this interesting story from Scientific American  on China’s foray – with US assistance – into shale gas (while we consider building up to 7 extremely costly and energy-intensive LNG plants in BC to ship shale gas to China).

“Shale gas is among the largest onshore energy prospects in China, and
it is treated as such in Beijing and by local officials in central
China and its sprawling Northwest. Unlocking trillions of cubic feet of
gas buried in underground formations means heating more city apartments,
generating more electricity from a resource other than coal, and
feeding industrial plants hungry for energy.

But the government’s quest to develop China’s large shale gas
deposits is in its earliest days. National oil companies and Beijing are
moving cautiously. China is well aware of the environmental pitfalls
that are raising doubts in the United States. There are geological
differences that make the U.S. shale boom difficult to duplicate in
China. Water
for extracting gas is relatively abundant in Sichuan, but farmers in
the nation’s breadbasket need it more. Sichuan farms supply 7 percent of
China’s rice, wheat and other grains.” (Oct. 14, 2011)

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=china-begins-tap-shale-gas-american-help