Electricity from wind power increased by 29.7 percent in China

In the January-July period, electricity from wind power, and hydropower increased by 29.7 percent and 15.6 percent, respectively.

Sources of clean energy generated 106.8 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in July, up 31 percent from a year ago, according to figures released by the State Electricity Regulatory Commission (SERC) Tuesday.

During the first seven months, sources of clean energy generated 505.5 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity, accounting for 18.4 percent of total on-grid power, up 1.9 percentage points year on year.

In July, wind energy generated electricity grew 56.7 percent, marking the fastest growth pace, followed by hydro-power electricity, which expanded by 33.9 percent.

By the end of July, hydropower generation capacity increased by 6.1 percent year on year to 202.63 million kilowatts. Wind power generation capacity stood at 53.81 million kilowatts, up 37.1 percent.

China plans to invest 2.37 trillion yuan (375.6 billion U.S. dollars) in major energy-saving projects during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), according to a document released by the State Council.

The projects are expected to save the country an equivalent of 300 million tonnes of coal during the five-year period, according to the document published Tuesday at the Chinese government website.

In a previously unveiled blueprint for energy-saving programs, Chinese authorities established a goal of cutting energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP by 16 percent by 2015 compared with 2010, saving 670 million metric tonnes of coal equivalent.

To achieve the goals, the State Council has asked local authorities to strictly carry out the policies it detailed in the document, including optimizing industrial structures, restraining growth in energy-gobbling sectors and stepping up environmental assessments for new projects.

To ensure the implementation of the policies, the State Council said in the document that it will organize annual provincial-level evaluations and hold those who fail to meet the standards responsible.

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