On October 8, the Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission published the city's five-year plan for infrastructure facilities development, in line with central government targets set out in its 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010). 

 

According to the plan, while energy demands are expected to hit 65 million tons of coal equivalent by 2010, recyclable energy will account for four percent of total energy supply.

 

As far as energy demands are concerned, this represents a slight upsurge compared with 55 million tons in 2005, and 41.44 million tons in 2000. However, new or recyclable energy utilization then was only one percent of total energy consumption.

 

From now until 2010, Beijing will set up a multi-sources energy supply system with electricity as a main source, supplemented by coal, gas, oil, and new and recyclable energy, according to Chai Xiaozhong, deputy director of the commission. Chai added that electricity, natural gas and processed oil sources will be enhanced in line with the overall strategic goal to guarantee energy safety and environmental protection.

 

Beijing will build two new five-million-kilovolts transformer substations in Mentougou and Tongzhou, bringing the number of transformer substations in the city to six; build or rebuild 43 sets of 220 kv transformer facilities and 155 sets of 110 kv transformer facilities. The plan is to raise local installed capacity to three million kilowatts and general installed capacity to eight million kw by 2010. Further, local generating facilities are expected to meet over a third of electricity load demands.

 

The natural gas supply capacity will also be enhanced by a large degree. The LNG (liquefied natural gas) project in Caofeidian in neighboring Hebei Province will be completed by 2010, and a gas tunnel will be extended to newly developed communities and major towns, guaranteeing gas supplies to the urban areas. Natural gas consumption is expected to reach seven billion cubic meters in 2010.

 

(China.org.cn by Zhang Tingting, October 11, 2006)