Guangdong's rapid economic growth and large energy consumption have caused it to consider energy and resource saving as an important reason to maintain its rapid social and economic development. And it has worked out a series of solutions to its resource problems, which are mainly the result of rapid social and economic developments.

In fact, conserving energy for sustainable development is a national program. Research from the National Development and Reform Committee's Resource Research Center has shown that, because of the sustainable development policy, China's resource demands over the next 20 years will have to be cut by one quarter.

ENERGY BOTTLENECK

Guangdong accounted for 11.5 per cent of the nation's economy and used about 12.5 per cent of its energy last year (2003), indicating that the province's energy efficiency is a bit below average. Its government is making an effort to cut energy consumption per 10,000 yuan (US$1,200) of GDP by 5 per cent, by 2006.

Moreover, with provincial per capita conventional energy reserves amounting to less than 5 per cent of the national average, Guangdong has to import more than 90 per cent of its energy from other parts of the country or the world.

GOVERNMENT EFFORT

The government plans to work out energy consumption standards for the steel, petrochemical, construction material, power generation, and paper production sectors this year or next.

Heavily polluting, energy-consuming projects that are not in line with the industrial development policy will have to be phased out by limiting power supplies.

In addition, the government is encouraging the saving of power in lighting, air-conditioning and office equipment in hotels, shopping centers, and office buildings and saving of water in public washrooms

OTHER APPROACHES

In its resource saving and exploitation, Guangdong is actively looking for international cooperation.

It is cooperating with international partners in research and exploitation projects for RDF (refuse derived fuel) technology, biomass energy technology, and single-crystal silicon film solar batteries.

Guangdong businesses also consider things like energy saving, new energy exploitation and energy cycling as important methods of increasing their international competitiveness.

Overall, resource saving and exploitation are an important strategy for social and economic development. But it is only with the combined efforts of government, enterprises and citizens that Guangdong will succeed in the campaign.

Green Energy

At the same time, Guangdong is exploiting newer, cleaner energies to replace the polluting kind that are in short reserve, and it is doing research on scientific ways to reduce energy consumption without holding back economic development.

LNG 

The Guangdong Dapeng LNG project, backed by Guangdong Province, CNOOC (China's leading oil producer), and British petroleum giant BP, is expected to supply five billion cubic meters of liquefied natural gas (LNG) annually by 2006.

LPG 

By the end of next year, 2,390 buses, 44 percent of the total, and 7,520 taxies in Guangzhou will be using liquid petroleum gas (LPG), replacing petrol, and compressed natural gas (CNG), another form of clean energy, would be introduced into the city in 2008.

COLD SPRING  

At the end of 2003, a cold spring discovered some 3,000 meter down in the South China Sea by the Guangzhou Marine Geological Survey indicated the existence of a potential resource of "flammable ice", which is believed to be one of the best 'green' energies of the 21st century.

WIND POWER   

Guangdong is also rich in wind power resources in costal areas, and has a potential wind power capacity of 6 million kwh. The exploitation of wind power, another 'green power', is significant for Guangdong's energy structure optimization, environment protection and local economic development.

NUCLEAR POWER 

Nuclear power is another important energy strategy. Work began on Guangdong's third nuclear power station in the city of Yangjiang last year.

This new station, together with the two already in operation -- Dayawan and Liao -- will inject more energy into the province for social and economic development.

Editor: Yan