China to import more fuels despite clean energy drive

China will ramp up conventional fuel imports despite accelerating efforts to develop clean, renewable and alternative energy.

The National Energy Administration estimated on Jan 28 that energy demand in the world's second largest economy will increase steadily but the growth could moderate from last year.


"China's net coal imports hit 146 million tonnes in 2010. It could keep increasing in 2011," said Wang Siqiang, deputy head of general affairs department under the NEA. "Australia, Indonesia, South Africa, Columbia and Russia will continue increasing their percentages of exports to China along with their rising coal output in 2011."

China will speed up construction of 14 domestic coal producing bases this year, new coal production capacity will come into use in major producing provinces including Shanxi and Inner Mongolia, and some railways will be upgraded and put into operation, Wang said.

The NEA said apparent oil demand increased 12.3 percent from a year earlier to 449 million tonnes in 2010, or 8.98 million barrels per day. It did not provide a forecast for 2011.

China's crude oil imports surged 17.5 percent from a year earlier to a record 239.3 million tonnes or 4.79 million bpd in 2010 while domestic crude production also gained an unusually fast pace of 6.9 percent to a record high of 203 million tonnes, official data has showed.