CHINA ENERGY WATCH:Long-Term Power Demand Underestimated

Despite the massive buildup in energy production underway or planned in China, the country may have seriously under-estimated its power demand in the long run.

Until fairly recently, the astonishing levels of GDP growth seen in China had by far outpaced the buildup in domestic energy supplies, and energy use.

But since 2002, the situation has changed, and energy use has been expanding at a much more rapid rate than the overall economy.