BEIJING — China's natural gas output reached 173.3 billion cubic meters in 2019, according to the national energy work conference held in Beijing on Dec 16.

The country's annual output has increased by over 10 billion cu m for three consecutive years, the source said.

China's newly proven reserves of natural gas in 2019 reached 1.4 trillion cu m, up 68 percent year-on-year.

In 2020, China will promote gas exploration, strengthen the construction of systems for the production, supply, storage and marketing of natural gas, and improve oil recovery and other key technological innovations, said the conference.