Pressure Builds for Natural Gas Price Reform

AS gas losses of Chinese energy companies continue to increase along with rising imports, the urgency of natural gas pricing reform grows.

But analysts and industry officials said long-expected reforms might take longer than the market anticipates because of their wide implications. That assessment comes despite the announcement from China's top industry planner of a pilot pricing project in the tightly regulated market at the end of last year.

Price reforms will have major implications not only for gas importers led by PetroChina Co, domestic wellhead gas prices, and foreign gas producers selling to China, but also will affect the affordability and industrial competitiveness of related sectors.