Utilization efficiency and promotion strategy of total factor natural gas in Shaanxi Province

Shaanxi Province is rich in natural gas resources, which occupies a strategic position in ensuring China’s national energy security and promoting regional low-carbon transformation. With the acceleration of natural gas production capacity construction during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, Shaanxi has formed a large-scale production, supply, storage and marketing system. However, while the industrial scale is expanding, structural problems such as inefficient resource allocation, unbalanced production and consumption, and insufficient industrial chain coordination still restrict the high-quality development of natural gas industry in the province. It is of great theoretical and practical significance to study the utilization efficiency of total factor natural gas in Shaanxi and its promotion strategies for promoting the optimal allocation of resources, promoting industrial transformation and upgrading, and achieving the goal of “double carbon”. Based on the theory of total factor productivity, this study calculates the total factor natural gas utilization efficiency of Jiangsu, Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces from 2011 to 2020 with the help of the unexpected Windows-DEA model. It is found that during the past 10 years, although Shaanxi natural gas energy is in the process of increasing returns to scale and steadily increasing pure technical efficiency, by contrast, the total factor natural gas utilization efficiency is not high, and even fluctuates slightly. Based on the data of Shaanxi natural gas consumption from 2011 to 2023, this paper discusses the change of Shaanxi natural gas energy consumption trend and consumption structure, and puts forward the strategy to improve Shaanxi natural gas utilization efficiency: it advocates that natural gas production should be increased by technology from the supply side, and the investment in natural gas exploration and development should be increased, especially the technical research and industrialization development of tight gas, shale gas, coalbed methane and coal-to-gas should be increased, so as to support the development of biomass natural gas in a large-scale direction; From the demand side, expand the natural gas market space, guide and adjust the natural gas consumption structure (emphasizing the importance of cultivating and developing the rural natural gas market in Shaanxi) and improve the utilization rate of natural gas; Strengthen the connection between supply and demand, improve the interconnection of long-distance pipelines in the province and the construction of gas storage and peak regulation facilities to provide convenience for consumers.