China Will Meet Energy Cutback Goals
China
says it will achieve its goal of a 20 percent reduction of energy intensity and
a 10 percent cut in major pollutant emission against 2005 levels by the end of this
year, according to official figures.
Success in meeting the goals is largely thanks to hefty
government investment, coupled with threats against the non-compliant toward
the end of the 11th Five-Year Plan (2005-2010).
The state-run China Daily cited a study by the National Development and
Reform Commission (NDRC) showing that government funding for energy
conservation, emissions reduction, and environmental protection measures incited
a great deal of green investment from the private sector. The commission’s
study also said that more than 70 percent of coal-fired power stations have
installed flue gas desulphurization systems, while 998 energy-consuming
enterprises achieved energy-saving goals laid out by the government.
Earlier this year Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao warned he would use an “iron
fist” to ensure the targets were met, promising to close some of the country's
most inefficient factories and heavy manufacturing plants if they remained
non-compliant with the targets. The People’s Daily also reported that some
regions have carried out enforced power blackouts over the last few days to
ensure they meet the targets. However China
still remains the world's second-largest energy-user, consuming 2.146 billion metric
tons of oil-equivalent last year, compared with the 2.382 billion metric tons the
United States
used.
The NDRC report said “arduous efforts” would be necessary to realize the
country's ambition of moving toward more environmentally friendly economic
growth by 2020, including decreasing greenhouse gas emissions by 40 to 50 percent
per unit of GDP from 2005 levels, increasing non-fossil fuel energy share to 15
percent in primary energy, and adding 40 million hectares of forest land. A
series of new policies will be enacted over the next few months for the
forthcoming 12th Five-Year Plan, which will run from 2011 to 2015. The plan is
expected to include new national targets for energy and carbon intensity, as
well as regional targets for provinces to reduce their greenhouse gas
emissions, plans to roll out carbon-trading schemes, and measures to accelerate
the roll out of electric vehicles and renewable-energy capacity.