The situation analysis of shale gas development in China-based on Structural Equation Modeling

Shale gas is a significant source of unconventional energy. With the largest recoverable reserves in the world, China has 36.1 trillion cubic meters of shale gas, which will contribute to ensuring its national energy security and promoting the diversity of energy supply. Chinese government spares no effort to support the utilization and development of shale gas. However, the development of shale gas remains deeply troubled; thus the authors would like to reveal the factors influencing shale gas development in China. Through the study of various literature and carrying out interviews with experts about shale gas development, the authors collected 206 valid questionnaires from experts, scholars or researchers in shale gas field and then used Structural Equation Modeling to analyze the data, illustrate the relationships among environment, technology, resource, market and shale gas development and finally establish a shale gas development implementation model. The research findings would help Chinese government advance shale gas development, and improve further studies in shale gas area. (C) 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.