CRI听力:China Adopts Differential Power Pricing Policies to Curb Pollution

As thermal power companies have long been major sources causing air pollution in China, the government has decided to provide power price subsidies for environmental-renovated thermal power stations.

The Yiyang Power Plant in central China's Hunan Province is constructing facilities of desulfurization, denitrification, and dust-extraction.

Once completed, the facilities will work to purify exhaust flue gases and reduce over 90 percent of pollutants.

Under the government's new power pricing policies, the Yiyang Power Plant will receive 0.023 yuan per kilowatt hour in government subsidies.

Feng Ping, is director of the Office of Power Price Management in Hunan.

"The power plant's enthusiasm of denitrification has greatly increased. The renovation of facilities at thermal power plants in Hunan will be completed by the end of next year and put into operation."

Meanwhile, the Chinese government has also raised electricity prices for industries plagued by high energy consumption and over-capacity, such as steel and cement.

A cement plant in the city of Shaoguan in south China's Guangdong Province has stalled operation due to a substantial increase in electricity price.

Yu Bolin is head of the cement plant.

"The production of one-ton cement consumes 125 kilowatt hours of electricity, and the cost of that amount of electricity has now increased by more than 30 yuan. However, the profit of one-ton cement was only 20 to 30 yuan. Therefore, the price hike of electricity squeezes out our profits."

Yu says he is now planning to transform his plant to produce environmental-friendly construction materials so as to enjoy lower electricity prices.

Apart from the cement sector, the National Development and Reform Commission has planned to implement the differential power pricing measures in industries of flat glass, steel, electrolytic aluminum and others to curb over-capacity.

The measures have been carried out in Guangdong in advance.

The Guangdong government has also introduced preferential measures to underdeveloped areas to stimulate growth.

Xie Zhenhua, vice chairman of NDRC, says China is likely to achieve this year's goal of energy consumption reduction.

"According to the plan, China's energy consumption per unit of GDP is to be reduced by 3.7 percent by the end of this year. The first three quarters saw a decrease of 3.6 percent. Even if we achieve this year's goal, we are actually still far away from reaching the target of the 12th Five Year Plan. "

Xie says smoggy weather in many parts of the country is mainly caused by China's extensive development pattern and the unreasonable industrial and energy structures.

Xie also says China will increase its consumption of renewable energies to further reduce emissions.

For CRI, I'm Wu Yanping.