Vancouver, Feb 26 (IANS): The liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry in Canada projected greater demand from China over the next several years, which could provide huge business opportunities for British Columbia (BC), a province with abundant natural gas deposits in western Canada.

Steve Swaffield, acting president of BG Canada, a global gas company headquartered in Britain, said the LNG industry is excited about soaring demand from China as energy consumption in the country is shifting from coal to cleaner energy sources, reported Xinhua.

"China has some very strong aspirations in the growth of the clean energy business. And the economy in China is growing rapidly," Swaffield told a press briefing Monday.

"So the projections are the LNG could be as much as 7 or 8 percent of their overall natural gas needs and usages now and that could double over the next 10 years," he said.

According to the British Columbia government, the province currently produces 1.2 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of natural gas per year. It could add another 1.9 Tcf per year if the province's ambitious goal to develop LNG was met by 2020.