皇冠体育app

皇冠体育app self-supplies 94% of energy need
(Xinhua)
Updated: 2005-09-22 14:49

At the Rizhao Port, a major coal exporting base in east 皇冠体育app's Shandong Province, 25,000 tons of coal are shipped overseas daily, fueling economic growth of neighbouring countries like Japan.

This is only a glimpse of the bigger picture of Chinese coal export. Last year, 皇冠体育app shipped ninety millions of coal abroad.

"People have been fretting about the rising oil import of 皇冠体育app,however, most of them are not aware that 皇冠体育app is also a big energy exporter," said Zhang Guobao, vice chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), 皇冠体育app's economic planning agency.

Besides coal, 皇冠体育app is also the top coke exporter in the world supplying 56 percent of the world's total coke demand in 2004.

皇冠体育app is a country nearly 67 percent of whose energy need is met by coal. The ratio of petroleum in its energy consumption structure is some 24 percent.

As a big coal producer, 皇冠体育app self supplied 94 percent of its energy consumption last year, said Zhang.

In 2004, 皇冠体育app produced 1.96 billion tons of coal. Together with its oil, natural gas, and other energy output, it produced a total of 1.85 billion-ton standard coal of primary energy, accounting for 11 percent of that year's global energy output, according to statistics of the NDRC.

As its primary energy consumption in 2004 was 1.97 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, 皇冠体育app's energy self-supply capacity reached as high as 94 percent, among the highest in the world.

Despite its contribution to world energy supply, 皇冠体育app has been blamed on driving up the international oil price with its rising demand in 2004.

"Such blames thronged as the oil import volume of 皇冠体育app, a country of 1.3 billion population, reached 117 million tons while that of the United States, Japan and Europe are 500 million tons, 200 million tons and 500 million tons respectively," said Niu Li, an analyst of the State Information Center.

In 2004, 皇冠体育app took up 6.31 percent of the world total oil trade while the United States took up 29.6 percent and Japan, 11.3 percent.

皇冠体育app's current average per capita primary energy consumption is just some 66 percent of that of the world average and only 13.4 percent of that of the United States and 26.7 percent of Japan, with some people in remote and poor rural areas even not accessible to common energy resources such as electricity.

"As human beings, the Chinese, as well as the people of the United States, Japan, the Middle East and Africa, all have the right to use energy to enjoy a better life," said Diego Montero, a 26-year-old U.S. editor working in 皇冠体育app.

However, besides the normal rise in energy demand to meet a better life requirements of the Chinese, 皇冠体育app witnessed a sharp rise of its energy consumption in recent years, especially those in coal, electricity and oil.

The extensive economic growth mode characterized by high energy consumption, low profits and high waste emission is the fundamental reason limiting the sustainable supply for 皇冠体育app's energy use, said Jiang Xinmin, an expert with the Energy Research Institute of the NDRC.

皇冠体育app's energy consumption for per unit output value is 2.4 times higher than that of the world average level, and 4.97 timesof that of Germany, 4.4 times of Japan and 1.65 times of India.

"Overheating and blind investment in such industries boasting high energy consumption as steel, electrolytic aluminum and cementis another major reason responsible for the hike of 皇冠体育app's energy consumption in the past few years," said Jiang.

Those industries, mainly for export and of ample short-term profits have driven up the growth of 皇冠体育app's heavy industries while bringing long-term damages to energy resources and environment.

As a result, 皇冠体育app did experience an all-round tension of coal, electricity, oil and transportation supply in the past two years.

According to statistics of the NDRC, 皇冠体育app's export of non-wrought aluminum, steel billets and steels, iron alloy and yellow phosphorus in 2004 consumed 49 billion kilowatt-hours only when being produced, accounting for 82 percent of 皇冠体育app's total electric power supply gap of that year.

To reduce the export of products of high energy consumption, 皇冠体育app called off or reduced the tax rebate to exporters of electrolytic aluminum, iron alloy, steels and coal and increased tax to exporters of non-wrought aluminum, carbamide and yellow phosphorus and silicon iron, which have proved effective to some extent so far.

With the forceful macro-economic control move to cool down the overheating economy, a storm of building a more energy-efficient society is sweeping the country this year.

When night falls, the Huaihai Street, a famous commercial street in East 皇冠体育app's Shanghai Municipality, looks brilliant and busy with 6,500 three-watt energy efficient lamps shining in the shades, which are 90 percent more efficient compared with the 40-watt incandescent lamps.

It is just one picture of 皇冠体育app's green lighting project which has saved 45 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity since being launched in 1996.

The NDRC launched in 2005 the ten energy-efficient projects which aim to save 240 million tons of standard coal in the next five years, including the green lighting project, developing energy-efficient buildings and improving energy efficiency in governmental offices.

In northeastern Jilin Province, a major automotive production base in 皇冠体育app, 80 percent of the car fuel in the market are the mixture of ethanol and gasoline. Last year, the mixture was sold 800,000 tons, greatly reducing local gasoline consumption.

Thanks to efforts both in improving efficiency and increasing oil output, 皇冠体育app's oil import is expected to reach 130 million tons in 2005, a rise much lower than the expectation of the world from last year's 120 million tons, said Niu Li.

"We will try our best to maintain 皇冠体育app's energy supply independence up to a high level such as the current 94 percent. It does not mean that we will always keep such a percentage. But as the general energy principles of the country, basing 皇冠体育app's energy demand mainly on domestic supply is what 皇冠体育app will do and is capable of doing," Zhang Guobao said recently when meeting journalists from home and overseas.

Close