BEIJING - China's natural gas apparent consumption saw steady growth in the first quarter of 2019 amid the country's efforts to fight against air pollution.

Apparent consumption of natural gas rose 11.6 percent year-on-year to 77 billion cubic meters in the first quarter, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

China's natural gas consumption totaled 280.3 billion cubic meters in 2018, a robust growth of 18.1 percent from a year ago, NDRC data showed.

China has been promoting efficient, large-scale use of natural gas in sectors including industrial fuel, gas-fired power and transportation.

According to a three-year action plan on air pollution control released in 2018, China will boost the share of natural gas in its total primary energy consumption to 10 percent by 2020.