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China considers setting binding PM2.5 targets
Zhao Penggao (赵鹏高), an official from the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection at the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), in a speech to an industry conference yesterday revealed that that the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) is currently considering setting binding targets on the levels of PM2.5 in the air. (The Economic Observer / China Securities Journal) Read more
China e-bikes to total 210 million by end of 2013
By the end of 2012, its estimated there were 180 million electric bicycles in use in China, an increase of 36 percent over 2010. People in China rode more than 180 million e-bikes (electric bikes) by the end of last year, up 36 percent since 2010, according to Wood Mackenzie Ltd. Average lead content in a two-wheel e-bike has dropped from about 13 kilograms (29 pounds) in 2010 to 11 kilograms last year, according to the Edinburgh-based researcher. There will be about 33 million electric bikes sold in China in 2013. China will have about 210 million electric bikes at then end of 2013. (EV World) Read more
China to account for 28% of global infrastructure investment through 2030
Global investments in infrastructure are expected to total $57 trillion in the next 18 years, with $16 trillion of them to be made in China, a McKinsey report shows. That means almost $1 trillion on average will be invested in China's infrastructure per year through 2030. The report defines infrastructure as roads, railways, ports, airports, power plants and telecommunications networks. China's ambitious urbanization plan, which has been repeatedly touted by the new premier Li Keqiang, backs the need for massive spending on infrastructure, Herbert Pohl, a McKinsey senior board member, told Yicai.com. (The China Perspective / Yicai) Read more
China releases first national water report: study hints at widespread water crisis
The first national report on China's water conditions was released Tuesday by the Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) and the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). It found that China currently has 22,909 rivers that each covers an area of more than 100 square kilometers, some 28,000 fewer than were counted during the 1990s. Around 400 cities in China get their drinking water mainly from groundwater which is being overexploited. The survey found that 60 cities are "severely overexploiting" groundwater. The national strategy should shift from increasing water supply to conservation and more efficient use of water, Ma Jun, director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, told the Global Times. (Global Times) Read more
China coal producers seek new ventures
Chinese coal producers have already started to diversify away from their core operations in an effort to find other streams of income to offset the softening demand for coal. China's coal output rose 4% to 3.66 billion metric tons last year, slowing from 8.7% growth in 2011, according to China Coal Industry Association. Coal prices in China fell 22% in 2012 from a year earlier. Late last year, Shenhua, the country's largest coal producer by output, and other coal producers such as Huadian Coal Industry Group entered China's natural-gas market after they won auctions for shale gas blocks in southern China. (Wall Street Journal) Read more
IMF signals push to scrap energy subsidies
The globe could solve many fiscal woes by ending nearly $2 trillion in fuel subsidies, the International Monetary Fund claims. The IMF lists the top three subsidizers in absolute terms: the US, China and Russia. Subsidies of fossil fuels promote waste, reduces production for developing nations, and blocks innovation; they also benefit the rich more than the poor who use less fuel. Reducing subsidies would reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions. (Financial Times, China News) Read more
Skipping the water in fracking
The push to extend fracking to arid regions is drawing attention to water-free techniques. It’s possible to fracture gas-rich rock formations by using carbon dioxide, gas and oil companies have been using carbon dioxide this way for decades, albeit on a limited basis. In some cases a price on carbon emissions may be the only way to make the economics work. A price on carbon, for example, could create a big supply of cheap carbon dioxide by giving utilities incentive to capture it from power plants’ smokestacks. This might make sense in China, which has one of the largest shale gas resources in the world, beneath the Taklamakan Desert. (MIT Technology Review)
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Chinese wind power eclipses thermal power growth for first time
The China Electricity Council has released new statistics this week showing that wind power production increased more than coal last year, the first-recorded instance of wind overtaking thermal power in Chinese history. Thermal power use grew by 0.3 per cent in 2012, an addition of 12 terawatt hours (TWh) more electricity. In contrast, wind power production expanded by about 26 TWh. This rapid expansion brings the total amount of wind power production in China to 100 TWh, surpassing China’s 98 TWh of nuclear power. (Platts) Read more
Rent an electric car in Shanghai with eHi
A Shanghai car-rental company partly owned by Enterprise Rent-A-Car is initiating China's first electric car rental service to operate on a large scale. The service will also become available in Beijing soon and eHi hopes that the new service will help speed EV adoption. Some analysts believe that the effort is premature. According to a survey conducted last year by Shanghai International Automobile City 72.1 percent of those considering buying an electric car wanted the ability to charge their vehicle at workplaces and shopping centers as opposed to just the charging facilities in the demonstration zones. (iTech Post) Read more
Corrosive concrete halts construction of china's tallest building
An industry-wide investigation made public last week discovered that 15 buildings in Shenzhen were partly constructed from concrete made with sea sand instead of river sand, including the 660-metre-high Ping’an International Finance Center, expected to be the second tallest building in the world. Construction has now been halted on Ping'an International Finance Center, which was designed by US firm Kohn Pedersen Fox and has been under construction since 2009. (Dezeen) Read more
