Do not leave your TV on standby and go out. Do not set the air
conditioners on extremely low temperatures. Forget about any
energy-sapping projects you had planned.
The list of dos and don'ts from the Chinese government runs long
and is designed to involve individuals, organizations and
industrial and commercial enterprises nationwide in an
energy-saving campaign.
The State Council will launch the weeklong campaign on Sunday
with an eye toward avoiding the widespread electricity shortages
this summer that plagued many parts of the country last year.
The event is part of a three-year national campaign to save and
promote the effective use of major resources.
Earlier this month, the State Council called on all localities
to join the effort to conserve resources such as electricity, raw
materials, water and land.
"Electricity shortages have become a major factor holding back
economic and social development," said Zhao Jiarong, of the
National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), at Thursday's
press conference.
At present, over 70 percent of China's provinces and autonomous
regions are suffering from electricity shortages. Last year, more
than half of the nation was similarly affected.
The NDRC predicted earlier this year that power consumption
would grow 11 percent year-on-year to 2.1 trillion kilowatt-hours
this year. Generating capacity, however, is expected to increase by
only 9.6 percent, or 37,200 megawatts.
The commission is calling for peak-period electricity prices to
be jerked upward to decrease power consumption and encourage use
during non-peak times. However, residential users will not pay more
for power this year.
"Improving generating capacity is one thing, but the whole of
society should not ignore energy-saving practices," said Zhao.
(China Daily June 4, 2004)