List to encourage sustainable growth
By Sun Xiaohua (China Daily)
Updated: 2006-07-04 08:14 As for Ningxia's poor performance in energy saving, Zhou explained that the
region's economic growth was highly dependant on heavy industries such as
producing metals.
China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) calls for overall
consumption of energy per unit of GDP to be cut by 20 per cent in five
years.
The current energy consumption per unit of GDP in China is about
three times that of the United States and 10 times that of Japan, according to
Zhang Jianyu, a visiting scholar at Tsinghua University.
"It is good to
require provinces and industries to take part in this energy-saving drive," he
said.
But he warned against fraud in the reporting of energy consumption
by some regions.
A recent report on world energy resources by BP, one of
the world's largest energy groups, said that although China has maintained a
rapid rate of growth, its energy consumption growth rate has declined from 15.5
per cent in 2004 to 9.5 per cent in 2005.
To curb the growth of energy
thirsty industries, the NDRC has decided to increase the price of electricity by
an average of 0.025 yuan (0.3 US cent) per kilowatt-hour since last
Friday.
The price adjustment, according to the NDRC, will not have a huge
impact on household expenses.
"It will promote the development of
renewable energy, fund more power grid projects and resolve the contradiction
caused by rising coal prices," said a statement issued by the NDRC.
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