China’s state-owned enterprises will be forced reduce the amount of energy used per unit of industrial output by “about 16 percent” by 2015 from 2010 levels, according to a statement issued by regulators on Tuesday.
Huang Shuhe, vice-chairman of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), said China’s biggest government-backed companies would also be urged to bring emissions of major pollutants such as sulphur dioxide well below the national average by 2015, according to a statement on SASAC’s website (www.sasac.gov.cn).
“We hope that enterprises administered by the central government will play a leading role in the development of aspects such as energy saving, environmental protection, new materials and new energy vehicles,” said Huang, addressing a meeting of state-owned companies on Monday.
SASAC runs about 120 companies on behalf of the central government, including the biggest steel mills, power producers and coal miners.
Huang said companies administered by the central government had cut energy intensity by 20.3 percent over the 2005-2010 period through the investment of 348.6 billion yuan ($53.8 billion).
China has already made a binding commitment to reduce energy intensity — the amount produced per unit of GDP — by 16 percent over 2011-2015, and to cut carbon intensity by 17 percent over the same period.
SASAC’s use of the phrase “about 16 percent” suggests state-owned companies will have some leeway. China reduced energy intensity by 19.1 percent over the 2006-2010 period, prompting officials to say that China had “basically met” its target of “about 20 percent.”
China’s industry ministry said earlier this year that big energy-consuming sectors like steel, aluminum and electricity would be obliged to reduce carbon intensity by 18 percent in the next five years, and to slash water consumption by 30 percent.
