BEIJING - China's top energy official said Friday that the country will increase natural gas supply by 20 percent this winter to meet rising demand.

Liu Tienan, head of the National Energy Administration, said that natural gas supply would meet demand this winter even though demand was expected to rise.

Liu said that natural gas was playing an increasingly important role in the nation's energy consumption. Already 150 million people, or 11.2 percent of the Chinese population, have access to natural gas in their homes.

Data shows the country's natural gas output last year reached 94.48 billion cubic meters, rising 12.1 percent year-on-year.

However, Liu noted despite the increasing production, the country's supporting facilities such as storage capacities needed upgrading.