On January 7, 2020, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) welcomed the Chinese National Energy Administration, Technical Committee 26 (NEA/TC 26)the Chinese Shale Gas Standards Technical Committee, to its Washington D.C. headquarters. Arranged by the U.S.-China Energy Cooperation Program (ECP), the trip provided the delegation with the opportunity to learn more about the U.S. standardization system and the latest developments related to U.S. efforts in the shale gas sector.
China's National Energy Administration founded the NEA/TC 26 in 2013, and tasked the technical committee to manage shale gas standards in the energy industry and conduct relevant standardization research. Chang Honggang, the head of the Chinese delegation and the president of PetroChina's Research Institute of Natural Gas Technology, opened the discussion with introductions, followed by an ANSI's presentation on the U.S. voluntary consensus standards system and ANSI China program.
The committee provided a presentation on the history of NEA/TC 26 and the current and future trends of shale gas exploration and extraction in China. The discussion elaborated on how in recent years, China has undertaken reforms within its energy sector to embrace clean energy, such as shale gas, to protect the environment and support a sustainable energy supply. These reforms have spurred the development and expansion of the Chinese shale gas industry and opened it up to investment.
The Chinese delegates also had meetings and further technical discussions with ANSI members and accredited standards development organizations (SDOs).
In addition, the Shale Gas Standard Committee elaborated on the significance of the U.S.-China standards workshop through the USTDA-funded U.S.-China Standards and Conformity Assessment Cooperation Program. In November 2019, the International Seminar on Shale Gas Technology and Standardization was held in Chengdu, China. The workshop helped encourage China to develop and adopt industry-accepted standards in the shale gas sector to increase the efforts supporting carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), promote safety and environmental protection and help eliminate obstacles to the growth of this industry. The workshop hosted bilateral dialogue and technical exchange on shale gas standards and technology, which is very timely as China implements energy sector reforms and opens the shale gas industry to investment.