Research Goal for Clean CoalResearch and application of clean coal technologies is to be widened through greater international co-operation and central government blueprints,according to today's China Daily.In particular the promotion of clean coal technology will be spotlighted, said Song Chaoyi, deputy director general of the Department of Basic Industries under the State Development Planning Commission £¨SDPC£©. This technology includes coal liquefaction, exploration of coal seam gas and power generation-related technologies. Song made the remarks Monday in Beijing at the 2001 Sino-German Technology Workshop on Clean Coal Utilization. The workshop was co-sponsored by the SDPC's departments of foreign affairs and basic industries, and the Ministry of Economics and Germany's Economic Promotion Bureau of Nordrhein-Westfalen£¨NRW£©. China's energy sector has reached a radical balance between production and consumption in gross terms from a grievous energy shortage previously and could meet the demand of economic and social development Song said China's primary energy production in 2000 has reached 1.08 billion tons of standard coal, including 998 million and 163 million tons of raw coal and crude oil respectively, 27 billion cubic metres of natural gas and 1.35 trillion kilowatts of generated energy. Corresponding development was also achieved in the using of new energies, such as solar energy, wind energy and terrestrial heat. Song pointed to some in-depth problems that still exist in China's energy sector, such as an irrational mix of energy resources, an imbalance of energy industry structure, low efficiency of energy consumption and backwardness in research and utilization of clean coal technology. Song also disclosed China has established co-operative relations with Japan, Germany, the United States on coal liquefaction technology and tapping of coal seam gas. Some projects are currently being negotiated with those nations. To curb pollution from coal consumption and maintain a sustainable power industry, China can learn a lot from Germany and especially from the NRW, said Wang Zhixuan, deputy director of the Department of Science and Technology and Environmental Protection of the State Power Corp. The NRW is Germany' energy hub, which has accumulated vast experience and methods of clean coal use in past decades. Some 80 officials and experts from Germany and China attended the one-day event. |
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