Lesson from power thirst
July 27, 2004
China's shortage of power supply is not necessarily a handicap,
according to an article in South China News of the People's
Daily. An excerpt follows:
As summer lingers, electrical shortages have become a hot
topic of conversation around the country. It is now a threat
worrying the government, enterprises, and the general public.
However, the electricity shortage can also be seen as an
opportunity when viewed from another perspective.
It is helpful to establish an energy-saving society in this
country. Statistics show China consumes primary fuel equal
to 1.48 billion tons of standard coal every year. This makes
our country the world's second largest energy consumer, trailing
only the United States.
Calculated together with the economic output, China's energy
consumption is 11.5 times that of Japan, 4.3 times that of
the United States and 3.3 times that of Canada.
As more provinces take measures to limit electricity consumption,
awareness of using electricity more wisely is becoming widespread.
Meanwhile, to narrow the gap between the demand and supply
of electricity, non-traditional ways to generate electricity
are being exploited, including nuclear power, wind power and
tidal energy.
Power demand side management, an advanced power management
method urging power users to better utilize energy, will also
help improve the current extensive power usage.
China's shortage of electricity is a good opportunity for
the government to restructure the industry and change the
model of economic growth.
During the period when electricity was oversupplied, the
enterprises with huge energy consumption were almost "indulged"
with discounted power costs.
Driven by the shortage of electricity supply, the government
decided to limit the energy consumption of these enterprises,
which will have a positive influence on improving industrial
structure, saving energy and protecting the environment.
It is predictable that when the economy no longer grows in
an extensive way and a resource-saving society is really established,
China will see a virtuous cycle in energy supply.
In this sense, the current shortage of electricity is an
important chance for the further development of China's economy
and society.
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