China39;s 2023 LNG demand seen rising 914 analysts
Nuclear power to dampen Japan, South Korea LNG demand
Limited LNG supplies to come online globally next year

SINGAPORE, Jan 5 Reuters China39;s liquefied natural gas LNG demand is forecast to recover in 2023 as the country emerges from COVID19 controls to become the bright spot in Asia39;s consumption for the superchilled fuel.

China39;s demand is set to rebound to between 70 million and 72 million tonnes in 2023, 9 to 14 higher than in 2022, say analysts at Rystad Energy, Wood Mackenzie and ICIS.

But imports to China, which has the world39;s secondlargest economy, would likely fall short of record 2021 levels, because prices would stay high and lingering effects of the pandemic would limit appetite, they added.

Those high prices would continue to suppress demand from the Chinese industrial and power sectors, both highly sensitive to energy costs, said Wei Xiong, a senior analyst at Rystad Energy.

Growth momentum across sectors may only be restored after the high infections subside and when employees are back to work, she said. It will be a gradual process and may take a few months to restore.

State energy officials have estimated that in 2022 China39;s annual demand for natural gas may have fallen for the first time in two decades, because of weak demand from industries disrupted by pandemic controls.

China was the world39;s top LNG importer in 2021 but Japan held the position last year.

Gas prices spiked…