Almaty- Kazakhstan’s national nuclear company, Kazatomprom, has signed a deal to supply 24,200 tons of uranium to China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co. (CGNPC) by 2020, Zhou Zhenzing, general director of CGNPC Uranium Resources Co., told reporters in Almaty.
Almaty- Kazakhstan’s national nuclear company, Kazatomprom, and China Guangdong Nuclear Power Co. (CGNPC) have signed a memorandum on establishing a joint venture to build nuclear power plants in China on April 29.
China has allocated 23 billion yuan ($3.37 billion) for energy saving, anti-pollution, ecological and environmental protection projects since the fourth quarter of last year, a senior official told Xinhua Wednesday.
Han Yongwen, secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, said investment in these sectors accounted for 10 percent of the 230 billion yuan government spending to date on infrastructure, ecological and environmental sectors, quake relief and other areas.
China unveiled a 4-trillion-yuan stimulus package in November last year to be spent over the next two years with 1.18 trillion yuan spending from the central government, to cope with the adverse effects of the global financial crisis and shore up the domestic economy.
"This ratio of 10 percent was not low. It shows that the central government not only focuses on stimulating domestic demand and keeping stable economic growth, but also stresses laying a good foundation for the economy’s sustainable development in the long run," Han said.
Of the 23 billion yuan spending, 13 billion went to improving urban water treatment facilities, 4 billion yuan to pollution prevention projects on the Huaihe and other big rivers, 3.5 billion yuan to forest planting projects and the other 2.5 billion yuan to key energy saving projects across the country.
The chief executive of Vestas Wind Systems, the largest maker of wind turbines in the world, said today that "sentiment in the market is picking up in the U.S. and China."
Ditley Engel, who heads the Danish firm, also compared his industry against the struggling credit markets in comments to CNBC on Tuesday after the firm reported that its net profit jumped 70 percent.
"We’re hearing a lot of bad news on the industry, but it looks like the renewables industry is having somewhat of a different life than what you see in the credit situation," Engel said.
However he noted that credit markets have affected the renewable energy industry. Engel said it is taking longer for credit markets to fund projects but he confirmed there still a lot of activity. Especially in North America, the stimulus package is starting to have impact on the industry, he added.
Vestas today kept its full-year guidance. Engel said that the company is also maintaining its investment programs, especially in the U.S., and confirmed the firm hasn’t seen any cancelations in the backlog.
China’s environmental record gets plenty of bad press—-toxic lakes, contaminated rivers, cities enshrouded in a permanent haze of smog—-so here is some good news for a change: the Global Wind Energy Council says that China will add more wind power capacity this year than any other country, including the U.S. It could add 10 gigawatts [10,000 megawatts] of additional capacity this year, while the U.S. will only add 8.5 gigawatts.
That’s a lot of juice, considering that one megawatt can power about 1,000 households in the west, probably a lot more in China, where household power consumption is still quite modest.
This is indeed an important milestone for China’s renewable energy business, especially considering the Middle Kingdom is currently so dependent on coal. About 70% of its power is thermal generated, which is the main reason why China is now the largest source of carbon emissions in the world. But the country saw wind power capacity double last year to 12 GW while the U.S. had about 25 GW of capacity.
Much of China’s new capacity will come from home-grown makers of wind turbines who are gaining market share on industry stalwarts such as Vestas of Denmark, the world’s largest wind turbine maker, and General Electric. Both companies have manufacturing plants in China but their local competitors, Xinjiang Goldwind, Sinovel Wind and Dong Fang Electric are expanding rapidly.
One challenge for China, however, is that most of its wind energy capacity is located a long way from the source of demand. When I visited a wind farm called Huitengxile in Inner Mongolia, we had to travel two and half hours by car out of the capital, Hohhot, and then make the final sojourn on horseback. An equally windy part of China is the northwest province of Xinjiang, and hence a great place for wind turbines. But it’s about 4000 kilometers away from China’s east coast, where most of the energy demand is.
Still, power companies are bullish on China. China Light & Power, which produces virtually all its power supplied to Hong Kong by burning coal, has finally found green religion. Today after its annual shareholders meeting the company told reporters China was ripe with opportunities for investing in wind power.
The nation’s stimulus package has benefited energy conservation and emission controls with energy used to generate growth dropping further in the first quarter, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has said.
Energy intensity, or the amount of energy needed to generate per unit of GDP, dropped 2.89 percent year on year from January to March. That compares with a drop of 2.62 percent in the first quarter of 2008.
Overall energy consumption grew only 3.04 percent in the first quarter from a year earlier while the economy expanded 6.1 percent, the bureau said in a statement.
The NBS said the ratio of the services sector in the overall economy rose 1.6 percentage points, while the industrial sector dropped 1.9 percentage points. Also, the output of six energy-intensive industries fell 12.5 percent from the previous year.
The figures show the stimulus measures have aided efforts to increase energy efficiency, cut emissions and promote economic restructuring, it said.
The government announced a $586 billion stimulus package last November to prop up domestic demand and maintain growth. But the huge spending plan sparked concerns that officials might compromise on environmental protection and energy saving targets, given the emphasis on growth.
Yet, analysts said little of the government’s spending has been allocated to high energy-consuming or highly-polluting projects, while spending on environmental issues has been increased.
Capital requirements for projects such as railways, airports and housing will be lowered to raise investment, said a State Council meeting presided by Premier Wen Jiabao yesterday.
However, capital requirement for investments in high energy-consuming or heavily-polluting sectors, such as aluminum smelting, will be raised to prevent a rebound of production capacity in such industries.
Of the 230 billion yuan the central government has approved on stimulus spending over the past two quarters, 10 percent went toward energy conservation, emission control and environmental protection projects, the National Development and Reform Commission said in a statement yesterday.
The figures show the central government wants to strike a balance between growth and economic restructuring, said Chi Fuling, president of the China (Hainan) Reform and Development Research Institute.
The government may even increase spending on energy saving and environment protection as it tries to facilitate industrial transformation, Chi said.
According to the NDRC, the government has earmarked 13 billion yuan in the next three years to expand sewage and garbage disposal facilities to most townships. It has also allocated 4 billion yuan for tackling water pollution in major rivers such as the Huaihe and the Songhuajiang. Forest conservation and energy saving projects get a combined 6 billion yuan.
The government has pledged to reduce energy intensity by 20 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels; and chemical oxygen demand (COD), a key index of water pollution, and emissions of sulfur dioxide (SO2), a main air pollutant, by 10 percent between 2006 to 2010.
BEIJING- China has allocated 10 percent of the 230 billion yuan ($33.71 billion) spent so far under its 4 trillion yuan stimulus plan to energy saving, anti-pollution, ecological and environmental protection projects, Xinhua news agency reported.
It cited Han Yongwen, secretary-general of the National Development and Reform Commission, as saying 13 billion yuan had been spent on improving urban water treatment plants; 4 billion yuan on pollution prevention on major rivers; 3.5 billion yuan on afforestation; and 2.5 billion yuan on energy-saving projects.
"This ratio of 10 percent was not low. It shows that the central government not only focuses on stimulating domestic demand and keeping stable economic growth, but also stresses laying a good foundation for the economy’s sustainable development in the long run," Xinhua quoted Han as saying.
The next tranche of the spending package is due to be released next month, according to economists.
For a breakdown of how the 4 trillion yuan ($585 billion) will be allocated, double-click on ID:nPEK179991
(Reporting by Alan Wheatley)
((alan.wheatley@thomsonreuters.com; +86 10 6627 1235; alan.wheatley.reuters.com@reuters.net))
((If you have a query or comment on this story, send an email to news.feedback.asia@thomsonreuters.com))
($1=6.823 Yuan)
BEIJING- China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. ("CSOL" or "China Solar" or the "Company") (OTC Bulletin Board: CSOL - News), a premier manufacturer and distributor of solar water heaters, renewable energy solutions, and space heating devices in the People’s Republic of China, today announced that its Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Deli Du, delivered a keynote speech on renewable energy at the 2009 World Eminence Chinese Business Association ("WECBA").
WECBA is a global Chinese business organization which consists of the world’s top 500 Chinese enterprises and has some of the most influential Chinese business persons as its members. Co-organized by the Association of Former Diplomats of China this year, WECBA held a grand opening ceremony and forum in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Attendees included representatives from many of China’s largest enterprises such as China National Petroleum Corp, China Offshore Oil Corp, and Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. Former Chinese ambassadors to the US, UK, Russia, Canada, Australia, Nigeria, South Africa, Argentina, Cuba and the United Arab Emirates delivered speeches about the countries where they had served, with emphasis on those countries’ current economic policies, investment environment and their trade relations with China.
As a keynote speaker at the opening ceremony, Mr. Du delivered a speech on renewable energy as a viable and sustainable solution to China’s growing energy demand and the very likely next growth driver for China’s economy. Mr. Du also proposed an integrated energy-saving solution customized for the Chinese market.
Mr. Du commented, "I was extremely proud to deliver the keynote speech at WECBA’s opening ceremony on behalf of China’s renewable energy industry. I believe that being asked to present at the ceremony shows recognition of China Solar’s long-term strategy to grow and expand in China’s burgeoning renewable energy industry. Our vision is to establish both vertical and horizontal industry alliances and to continue our pioneering efforts in developing China’s low-carbon and renewable energy sector."
About China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc.
China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc. operates through its wholly owned subsidiaries Bazhou Deli Solar Energy Heating Co. Ltd. ("Deli Solar (Bazhou)"), Beijing Deli Solar Technology Development Co., Ltd., Shenzhen PengSangPu Solar Industrial Products Corporation and its 51% ownership in Tianjin Huaneng Group, all located in the PRC. The Company manufactures and distributes hot water and space heating devices to customers in the PRC, in addition to waste heat recovery systems. For more information, please visit http://www.delisolar.com .
Safe Harbor Statement:
Certain statements in this news release may contain forward-looking information about China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions and its subsidiaries business and products within the meaning of Rule 175 under the Securities Act of 1933 and Rule 3b-6 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, and are subject to the safe harbor created by those rules. The actual results may differ materially depending on a number of risk factors including, but not limited to, the general economic and business conditions in the PRC, market and customer acceptance and demand for products, ability to market products, fluctuations in foreign currency markets, the use of estimates in the preparation of financial statements, the impact of competitive products and pricing, the ability to develop and launch new products on a timely basis, the regulatory environment, fluctuations in operating results, and various other factors beyond its control. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this Cautionary Statement and the risks factors detailed in the Company’s reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions undertakes no duty to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this release.
For more information, please contact:
Peggy Yuan
Investor Relations
China Solar & Clean Energy Solutions, Inc.
Tel: +86-10-6386-0500
Email: delisolar@yahoo.com.cn
Michael Tieu
ICR
Tel: +86-10-6599-7960
Email: Michael.tieu@icrinc.com
The major nations meeting for discussions on climate change in Washington on Monday and Tuesday each have different goals for curbs on greenhouse gas emissions.
China, the United States, the European Union, Russia and India are top world emitters. Targets they set will go a long way to decide the ambition of a new U.N. deal to fight global warming due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December.
Rich nations’ plans cluster around cuts of roughly 15 percent below current levels by 2020. Many developing nations are trying to slow the rise of emissions, without caps that they say would stifle economic growth and their drive to end poverty.
DEVELOPED NATIONS
UNITED STATES - President Barack Obama favors cutting U.S. emissions to 1990 levels by 2020 — about 15 percent below recent levels — and by 80 percent below 1990 by 2050.
EUROPEAN UNION - European Union leaders agreed in December to cut emissions 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2020, a cut of about 14 percent from recent levels. EU leaders want rich countries to aim to reduce emissions by 60 to 80 percent by 2050 from 1990 levels.
– Britain has committed to a legally binding target to cut greenhouse gases by 80 percent below 1990 levels by 2050.
– Germany plans to cut carbon dioxide emissions by 40 percent by 2020 compared to 1990 levels.
RUSSIA - Has not yet set a 2020 goal.
JAPAN - Plans to outline 2020 cuts by June. The opposition Democratic Party has promised to cut emissions by 25 percent below 1990 levels by 2020 if it wins an election due by October.
CANADA - Aims to cut emissions by 20 percent below 2006 levels by 2020 and envisages cuts of 60 to 70 percent below 2006 by 2050. Emissions are now more than 20 percent above 1990 levels.
AUSTRALIA - Aims to cut emissions by 5 percent below 2000 levels by 2020 and by 15 percent below 2000 if there is a strong U.N. pact.
DEVELOPING NATIONS
CHINA - A 2006-10 plan aims to reduce energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent, curbing the rise of greenhouse gas emissions. Beijing also plans to quadruple gross domestic product between 2001 and 2020 while only doubling energy use.
INDIA - New Delhi says priority must go to economic growth to end poverty while shifting to clean energies, led by solar power. A climate plan last June set no greenhouse caps but said per capita emissions will never exceed those of rich nations.
BRAZIL - Plans measures including halving Amazon deforestation over 10 years to avert 4.8 billion tons of emissions of carbon dioxide, energy conservation and sustaining the share of renewable energies. Hydropower alone accounts for 77 percent of electricity generation.
INTERNATIONAL TARGETS
THE KYOTO PROTOCOL - Binds industrialized nations except the United States to cut emissions on average by at least 5 percent below 1990 levels by 2008-12.
GROUP OF EIGHT - Leading industrial nations agreed at a G8 summit in Japan in July 2008 to a "vision" of cutting world emissions of greenhouse gases by 50 percent by 2050.
GLOBAL - About 190 nations agreed last year to work out a new treaty by the end of 2009 to succeed Kyoto, comprising deeper emissions cuts by rich nations and action by poor countries to slow their rising emissions.
(Compiled by Alister Doyle, Nina Chestney, Gerard Wynn and Risa Maeda; Editing by Ralph Boulton)
BEIJING - China must swiftly decouple its rapid economic growth from rising carbon dioxide emissions for global greenhouse gas levels to stay manageable, the authors of a new study said, urging sweeping support to help that transition.
The study from Britain’s Tyndall Center for Climate Change Research by Tao Wang and Jim Watson finds China can transform into a "low-carbon economy" with the right mix of clean energy, carbon storage technology and development policies.
But at the release of the report to officials and experts in Beijing on Wednesday, Wang said the task of turning the world’s biggest greenhouse gas emitter into a green economy will be difficult, even in the easier scenarios.
And it would require big commitments of technology and funding from wealthy countries.
"It’s very crucial to slow the growth as early as possible and to reach a peak as early as possible," Wang, a researcher at the University of Sussex, told the meeting.
"It’s vital for China to have the technical and financial assistance to make the fast transition which is necessary," he told Reuters in a separate interview.
Wang and Watson said their study suggested China’s CO2 output should peak between 2020 and 2030, because keeping accumulated emissions within tolerable levels would be increasingly difficult if output keeps growing beyond then.
"What we’re not saying is that China should take on a target now," Watson, a researcher at the Tyndall Center, told Reuters. But, he added, "slowing the trajectory from the steep rise it’s been on is needed, whatever future you conceive of."
Their study can be found on the Centre’s website (www.tyndall.ac.uk).
LESS AMBITIOUS
Chinese climate change policy officials and experts are developing the government’s position for negotiations aiming to agree the outlines of a new pact on fighting global warming by the end of the year.
China is mankind’s biggest source of CO2, the main greenhouse gas. On a per-capita basis, China’s 1.3 billion people produce about 4 tons of greenhouse gases, compared with the U.S. average of about 20 tons per person.
The Tyndall study will add to debate here and abroad about how China can balance hopes for prosperity with efforts to contain greenhouse gases from industry, vehicles, farming and land clearance.
China produces about 80 percent of its electricity from coal-fired power stations and is also the world’s largest producer of power from coal.
The Chinese government is exploring pathways to a low-carbon economy, but the emissions growth reductions envisaged by Chinese studies are less ambitious than those Wang and Watson examine.
"How low is low?," Lu Xuedu, a Chinese environment policy official said at the release of the report, speaking of a low-carbon economy. "To do this well, and not treat it as a mere slogan, will not be easy."
Wang and Watson take the total "budget" of CO2 emissions throughout this century that a U.N. scientific panel concluded was likely to keep average global temperature rises 1.9 to 4.4 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.
They then tested how China might be able to grow while staying within the "carbon budget" it could receive in an international apportionment of emissions.
Of global CO2 emissions throughout this century equal to 490 gigatonnes of pure carbon, China may potentially get to emit 70 to 111 gigatonnes, they wrote. Emissions are also often estimated in tons of CO2, which weighs 3.67 times as much as pure carbon.
China can stay within carbon bounds and keep growing if it adopts sweeping measures to divert energy generation away from dirty coal to clean sources, and puts increasingly wealthy consumers on a path to less carbon-intensive homes and transport, said Wang and Watson.
Under various energy and development settings, China’s economy could expand to between 8 and 13 times its current size by 2050 while sticking within the emissions budget, they found.
But while China’s massive market might help speed the spread of wind and solar power, other bigger technological challenges such as mastering carbon capture and storage would be expensive, and wealthy nations should pitch to help, said Watson.
Such trade-offs will be at the heart of the global climate negotiations culminating in Copenhagen in December.
"They would not be signing up to just a number," Watson said of China. "They’d be signing up to a huge set of infrastructural changes, behavioral changes, institutional changes."
(Editing by David Fogarty)