China urges more power conservation amid shortage

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – China’s central government, grappling with the country’s worst electric power shortage in years, on Saturday ordered local authorities around the country to work harder to conserve energy.

“Fully understand the importance and urgency of conserving oil and electric power,” the State Council, or cabinet, said in notice to the administrations of provinces and big cities.


The notice, posted on the government’s website (www.gov.cn), did not contain new policy initiatives. But it said China’s energy efficiency remained well below the standards of developed countries, and scolded unnamed government bodies and projects for using energy wastefully.

“Tightness in supplies of oil and electricity has become a major factor limiting economic and social development,” it said.

Reuters