Beer-to-utilities giant Beijing Enterprises expects its natural- gas sales to rise by half to 6 billion cubic meters (bcm) by 2010, banking on robust demand for cleaner energy.

Gas sales could jump further to 10 bcm a year after a coal-to-gas joint venture with Datang Power comes fully onstream in 2012, Chief Executive Zhang Honghai told Reuters yesterday.The firm is talking with contacts in the Middle East and Southeast Asia, Zhang said without elaborating.

Zhang expects its gas revenue to rise 20 percent a year until 2010. That division, which was bought last year, already contributes more than 60 percent of the corporation's net profits.