May 21 2010
Along the coast of the Jiangsu province of China, a series of wind farms and nuclear power plants are either currently functioning or expected to come into operation soon.
The province uses technology developed both overseas and domestically.
Currently, the Jiangsu province has to import 80% of the power it uses from other areas. However, owing to the quick development of novel energy sectors, this province is likely to be a significant energy producer in China.
Jiangsu Development and Reform Commission’s director Mao Weiming commented that the province has laid out a development goal for its energy sector in the 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015). Over the coming five years, development on novel energy sectors including nuclear power, the smart grid and wind power will be the area of focus.
The Jiangsu province is believed to have a potential of at least 10 GW. Till date, 800 MW of wind energy facilities are under construction with 1.2 GW of wind energy already under operation. Presently, non-coal power production constitutes around 15% of the overall energy capacity in Jiangsu. Mao wants to see this figure increased to 16% between the years 2011 and 2015.
Currently, wind, nuclear, solar and hydro energy are the most developed novel energy sources in China. China therefore needs to develop novel energy sectors if the nation wants to obtain its goals in environmental protection and emissions control.
One of the two goals that China has established for the environment and energy is to increase the usage of non-fossil power to 15% of primary power usage in 2020. The other goal is to decrease the intensity of carbon by 40 – 45% in the year 2020 from the levels prevalent in 2005.
A recent World Bank report indicates that over the next 20 years, China requires a surplus $64 billion in investments annually in order to execute an energy-efficient growth strategy.
Source: http://www.worldbank.org/