OREANDA-NEWS. June 01, 2011. PetroChina's first liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal received its first cargo, state media said, suggesting rising energy supplies in Jiangsu province that was expected to face the worst summer power shortages in China.

A Q-flex LNG carrier, carrying 145,000 cubic metres or around 63,800 tonnes of super-chilled gas from Qatar, sailed into Yangkou port in the eastern province, the semi-official China News Service reported.

The first shipment arrived around a month later than an earlier estimate.

PetroChina earlier arranged a 25-year pact with Qatar for LNG imports, mainly to supply the Jiangsu terminal.

The terminal, operated by PetroChina's Kunlun Energy Co Ltd , has an annual receiving capacity of 3.5 million tonnes of LNG. It is able to berth shipments from 80,000 to 267,000 tonnes.

China looks set for its worst power shortages since 2004, putting pressure on already squeezed industries and raising the possibility of the world's second-largest economy turning into a net importer of diesel.

To ease power shortages, PetroChina, the leading Chinese gas supplier, has boosted gas supplies to six gas-fired power plants in Henan and Jiangsu provinces to 13.8 million cubic metres (mcm) per day from only 4.5 mcm in January via its flagship West-to-East gas pipeline, the National Development and Reform Commission said on May 12. 

Gas is a tiny source for China's power generation and more than 80 percent of electricity output is fuelled by coal.