China, the world’s top energy consumer, will cut the energy used for each dollar of economic output by 17.3 percent from 2011 to 2015, compared with levels in 2010, state media reported on Monday, citing an energy official.
The goal is part of an effort to cut energy intensity by 31 percent by 2020, Huang Li of the National Energy Administration was quoted as saying by a Chinese news portal (www.163.com) as well as by state radio.
The country plans to cut energy intensity by 16.6 percent during 2016-2020 period, Huang was quoted as saying.
Local governments across China have been struggling to meet the current national target of reducing energy intensity by 20 percent in the five years from 2005 to the end of this year.
Consumption of non-fossil fuels including nuclear and hydropower will reach 780 million metric tons by 2020, Huang said.
The reports did not specify where Huang made the comments.
Huang said China’s hydropower generating capacity should reach 380 gigawatts (GW) by 2020, nuclear capacity will rise to 80 GW, and wind, solar and biomass capacity will reach 200 GW by then, reiterating similar forecasts by other energy officials.
China aims to raise the proportion of non-fossil fuels in overall energy consumption to 15 percent by 2020 from less than nine percent in 2009.
Before last year’s Copenhagen climate meeting, China vowed to cut its carbon intensity level — the amount of the main greenhouse gas produced from fossil fuel, carbon dioxide, emitted for each unit of GDP — by 40 percent to 45 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels.
China is the world’s largest producer and consumer of coal, a main source of greenhouse gas.
