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China has standards for the measurement of natural gas energy, which facilitates international trade in natural gas. China Petroleum News Center: According to reports from China Petroleum Network, the author learned from the National Natural Gas Standardization Technical Committee that the standard GB/T 22723-2008 \"Determination of natural gas energy\" was issued on December 31, 2008, and will come into effect on August 1, 2009. This means that there will now be standards to follow for the measurement of natural gas energy in our country, providing technical support for aligning China’s natural gas measurement methods with international practices. It holds positive significance in standardizing the methods for determining natural gas energy. It is understood that China’s natural gas volume measurement technology and its standardization have approached international levels. To align China’s natural gas measurement methods with international standards, it is highly necessary to implement energy measurement for natural gas in the country as soon as possible. Huang Liming, one of the main drafters of the standard and deputy director of the National Natural Gas Standardization Technical Committee, explained that the standard provides methods for determining the energy content of natural gas through measurement or calculation, and describes the relevant techniques and measures used for this purpose. There are two methods for measuring natural gas in trade and transfer: measurement based on energy and measurement based on volume (mass). In most countries abroad, measurement based on energy is the primary method, with volume measurement used as a supplement. Natural gas is a mixed gas that, in addition to alkanes, also contains certain non-flammable substances such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen; these non-flammable substances do not contribute to calorific value. Therefore, the volume of natural gas does not truly reflect its value as an energy source. In trade settlements, measuring by volume does not conform to the principle of pricing based on quality, where higher-quality goods command higher prices; it also hinders the scientific and rational utilization of limited natural gas resources, being unreasonable for both suppliers and consumers. Therefore, research on the energy metering of natural gas began very early abroad. “The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) began working on the standard for \"Natural Gas Energy Measurement\" in 1998, and the official standard was published in 2007. However, natural gas measurement in our country is still primarily based on volume; at present, only the natural gas supplied by CNOOC to China Power, as well as the LNG projects in Guangdong and Fujian that are already in operation, use energy-based measurement methods. ”Huang Liming said. (Yang Lei) 【Interpretation】The establishment of this standard will bring about a new revolution in areas such as measurement, analysis techniques, quality management, production, and storage and transportation within the natural gas industry, thereby facilitating international trade in natural gas. However, to implement natural gas energy metering in our country, further improvements are still needed in the establishment of reference materials and traceability systems. The standard provides a technical basis for implementing energy metering in our country, but it is a recommended standard; whether trading parties can conduct transactions in accordance with these energy metering standards still depends on the introduction of relevant legal regulations and supporting industrial policies. We also hope that the implementation of these standards will facilitate the early introduction of regulations related to natural gas energy metering.