China
China´s industrial pollution, energy consumption task still "grim", NDRC chief
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CHINA'S ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN 2007
Total energy consumption up 15.8%
The industrial added value of high energy-consuming industries, such as steel and nonferrous metals, which accounted for 70 percent of the total industrial energy consumption, rose 19.7 percent in the first seven months, 2.7 percentage points higher than the growth rate of the same period of 2006.
In the first half of this year, total power consumption in China rose 15.8 percent, three percentage points higher than the growth rate of the same period of 2006, and that of heavy industry rose 18.8 percent, up 4.6 percentage points.
Ma vowed to take strict measures to save energy and reduce pollutant discharges the latter half.
"We will continue to adopt a stricter market access standard for the new industrial projects and curb the blind expansion of industries of high energy consumption and heavy environmental pollution," he said.
"We will accelerate the elimination of outmoded production projects and quicken the development of the service and high-tech sectors, which consume less energy.
"We will strengthen construction of pollution treatment projects and develop clean energy.
"We will continue to urge companies to save energy and reduce pollutant discharges through both economic and legislative means," he said.
The government has set a target of reducing energy consumption for every 10,000 yuan (1,324 U.S. dollars) of GDP by 20 percent by 2010, while pollutant discharges should drop by 10 percent.
But energy consumption fell only 1.23 percent last year, well short of the annual goal of four percent.
Premier Wen Jiabao vowed in this year's government report that the government would meet the energy saving and pollution control targets between 2006 and 2010 despite last year's setback.
In his report, Me said the overall situation of China's economic and social development is good and China's economy has maintained smooth growth this year.
Progress has also been achieved in the fields of science, education, health, culture, and people have got more tangible benefits this year, he said.
Wu Bangguo, chairman of the NPC Standing Committee attended Wednesday's meeting, which was chaired by the Lu Yongxiang, vice chairman of NPC Standing Committee.
Editor:Du Xiaodan