Ever since China overtook South Korea as the world’s second-largest importer of LNG last year, traders have been keeping a very close eye on any development that might suggest whether this year will see a repeat of the 46-percent surge in LNG imports that the country experienced in 2017. Analysts interviewed by Bloomberg seem to share the opinion that one critical factor for such a repeat would be the speed at which China can build LNG storage facilities. Another will be the rate of energy reforms aiming to cut the country’s reliance on coal in favor of gas. The likelihood of another 46-percent jump in imports, based on these factors, is limited. China has plans in place to expand its underground gas storage capacity to 15 billion cu m by 2020 and raise this further to more than 30 billion cu m until 2030. But these are long-term plans. […]