China has achieved a major breakthrough in a green technology in producing synthetic natural gas (SNG) using a domestic developed catalyst that can outperform foreign technologies. This marks another progress for China to achieve technology independence in the push for green transformation and strengthening energy security.

A methanation catalyst jointly developed by a subsidiary of China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC), and Southwest Research & Design Institute of the Chemical Industry Co has achieved stable operation at 110 percent full load for the first time in a large-scale SNG project in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and the methane concentration it achieved reached 61.7 percent, nearly 3 percentage points higher than that of foreign imported technology, CNOOC said in a statement on Monday.

SNG is a clean synthetic natural gas produced by coal after gasification, purification and methanation. As a key technology to turn coal into clean energy, methanation technology plays a vital role in improving coal utilization efficiency.

The breakthrough in methanation technology marks the latest development for China to substitute imported technology with domestic alternatives in producing SNG. Achievements were already made in coal gasification, transformation, deacidification among other technologies.

It marks the technology localization of the whole industrial chain in the field of SNG, filling the gap in the domestic industry, and is of great significance for the continuous and stable supply of natural gas and the guarantee of national energy security, CNOOC said.

The joint research dated back to 2013 and the independently developed methanation catalyst benefits from high temperature resistance, high stability and resistance to carbon deposition, which can meet the production requirements of large-scale SNG production, CNOOC said.

Following the success, the company said it will continue to expand the use of methanation technology in the integration of coal chemical industry and renewable energy, and emission reduction to serve the nation's carbon emissions peak and carbon neutrality goals.