The central government's goal of reducing energy consumption per
unit of gross domestic product (GDP) by 4 percent annually may fail
this year after the index rose 0.8 percent in the first half of the
year.
Meanwhile, sulphur dioxide discharge in 17 provinces, autonomous
regions and municipalities increased by 6 percent in the first six
months, according to a report delivered to top legislators by
Director of the National Development and Reform Commission Ma Kai
on Friday.
Urban fixed-assets investment, mainly in energy-intensive
industries, jumped 31 percent during the first seven months of the
year, according to the report.
To help save energy, some high energy-consuming industries, such
as steel, non-ferrous metals, chemicals and construction materials,
will have to pay more for electricity, according to the top
economic planner.
A thousand such enterprises will be required to upgrade their
technology to save energy.
Ma also called for stricter enforcement of environmental impact
assessment in economic development, which has been neglected by
some grass-roots governments.
The market entry threshold for high energy-consuming and
polluting industries would also be raised.
"Environmental protection will be a major issue in approving new
projects this year," he said.
China's energy consumption per 10,000 yuan (US$1,200) of GDP in
2005 was 1.43 tons of standard coal, times more than some developed
countries such as the US and Japan.
The country's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) calls for a 20
percent reduction in the amount of energy use for one unit of GDP
by 2010.
The plan was adopted by the annual plenary session of the
National People's Congress (NPC) in March. This is the first time that
China has fixed an energy-saving goal in a legal document,
according to Li Tieying, vice chairman of the NPC Standing
Committee.
Li reported on the implementation of the Energy-Saving Law
yesterday to the ongoing session of the NPC Standing Committee.
"If we could achieve our goal for energy consumption in 2010, at
least 620 million tons of standard coal would be saved," Li
said.
He urged governments to take the lead in energy saving.
Li recommended the adoption of a system of consumption tax
collection on resource products like coal.
China is seriously short of energy and resources. Per capita
reserves of oil and natural gas are only 8 percent and 7 percent of
the world's average.
(China Daily August 26, 2006)