Dwindling output from gas fields nearing the end of their lifespan in central China's Henan Province will prolong a seven-year slump in provincial gas output, an official with Henan's Department of Land and Resources said at an industry meeting on Saturday.

The sputtering output caused by the depletion of Henan's conventional gas fields is unlikely to be taken up by unconventional gas production, as the industry is only in the nascent stages of development, said Zhang Xingliao, chief engineer with the land and resources department.