Isra-Mart srl:China ponders regional CO2 targets

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Chinese officials are planning new regional greenhouse emissions targets, after the country was only able to meet its 2010 carbon-intensity goal by temporarily switching off power stations and factories.

By 2020 China aims to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide produced per unit of gross domestic product (GDP), known as carbon intensity, by 40 to 45 per cent against 2005 levels.

The government has signalled that it is determined to meet the target, while avoiding a repeat of the drastic action it took to meet its 2006-2010 target.

Su Wei, director general of the climate change department at the National Development and Reform Commission, this week confirmed that China switched off power and limited electricity supply to high-energy-consuming industries during 2010 after early reports suggested it would miss its carbon-intensity goal.

However, he admitted this method was not sustainable in the long term and that new market mechanisms would present preferable means of curbing emissions.

Su said a working group would draw up new regional targets and confirmed China was considering establishing its own carbon market.

"Since China has a binding carbon-intensity target, each region will have a sub-target and the major carbon-intensive industry sectors should have their own responsibilities," Su was quoted as saying by analyst Point Carbon.

In related news, China has released fresh details of its plan to deliver a massive increase in wind energy over the next five years.

The country's current capacity is about 40GW, but by 2015 this will have more than doubled to 100GW, Chen Shuoyi, head of the High-Tech Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, said in a speech earlier today.

To aid the growth, China plans to develop giant 10MW offshore wind turbines, Chen said, doubling the size of the largest turbines currently in use.

He added that China also intends to increase its solar capacity fivefold in the same time period, from 1GW to 5GW.