Center

Energy use per unit of GDP rises

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2006-08-02 15:26

China's energy consumption for every unit of GDP rose 0.8 percent in the first half year, the National Bureau of Statistics said yesterday.

"The situation is not promising for regions and major industries to cut energy consumption," a bureau official said. "It will be a very challenging task for them to attain this year's goal."

China planned to cut its per unit GDP energy consumption four percent this year as part of an ambitious plan to improve energy efficiency by 20 percent by the end of 2010.

The increase is mainly a result of poor performances in energy-intensive industries, according to the statistics bureau.

Energy consumption for unit of value added increased 5.5 percent year on year in the coal mining industry in the first six months, and 8.7 percent for oil and petrochemicals.

The non-ferrous metals and electricity industries saw energy consumption per unit of GDP increase 0.4 percent and 0.8 percent respectively.

The same figure dropped 5 percent year on year for the chemical industry and 5.5 percent for the textile industry.

Construction and steel, both energy-intensive industries, recorded a drop of 1.2 percent and 4.5 percent year on year.

In an effort to create sustainable development, the central government is now attaching unprecedented importance to energy saving.

To make sure its policies are implemented, the country's top planning body, the National Development and Reform Commission, recently signed pacts with all provincial governments. It defined their responsibilities on energy saving.

The NBS official urged local authorities to push for further restructuring of economies and focus efforts on energy-saving in key industries and enterprises to ensure that they will achieve the set goals.