Abstract: The opportunities about speeding up natural gas utilization and business development were analyzed from three aspects：economic and environmental factors of natural gas utilization，shale gas development，and technology progress when China is entering low carbon era. The opportunities of speeding up natural gas business development would have matured. The importance of natural gas utilization for optimization of transportation fuel structure and improvement of environmental quality was discussed from energy consumption and environmental protection，and the natural gas business development status of PetroChina was introduced. In order to promote China’s natural gas industry quality and benefits，relevant suggestions on natural gas utilization were put forward，China should make great efforts to cultivate LNG downstream market with scale economy，speed up layout and construction of LNG liquefaction plant and filling stations，improve natural gas downstream industry chain，accelerate comprehensive utilization of coastal LNG，develop distributed energy of natural gas，and at the same time，lay emphasis on shale gas exploration and mining technology development.

Key words: natural gas, shale gas, development and utilization, energy structure, low carbon

摘要： 从天然气利用的经济和环境因素、页岩气开发、技术进步等三个方面，分析了当前进入低碳时代后加快天然气利用和业务发展所面临的机遇，认为我国加快发展天然气业务的时机已经成熟；从能源消费与环境保护两方面阐述了天然气利用对优化交通运输燃料结构和改善环境质量的重要作用，同时介绍了中国石油天然气股份有限公司的天然气业务发展现状；最后，从进一步提升我国天然气工业质量与效益的目的出发，提出了加快天然气利用的相关建议，指出我国应大力培育液化天然气（LNG）下游市场，形成规模效益；应加快LNG液化站和加注站布局，完善天然气下游利用产业链，重点加快推进沿海LNG综合利用，大力发展天然气分布式能源，同时做好页岩气勘探开发布局及相关技术研发。

关键词: 天然气, 页岩气, 开发利用, 能源结构, 低碳