Lu Wenbin, deputy director of the Department of Resource Conservation and Environmental Protection of the National Development and Reform Commission of China, said on Monday that by strengthening administrative accountability for energy conservation and emission reduction, and by using "ironclad rules" and a "tough approach," China will promote energy conservation and emission reduction to ensure the achievement of the binding targets for energy conservation and emission reduction during the 12th Five-Year Plan period. According to the 2014-2015 Action Plan for Energy Conservation, Emission Reduction, and Low-Carbon Development previously released by the State Council, the specific targets for energy conservation, emission reduction, and carbon reduction in the next two years are: energy consumption per unit of GDP, chemical oxygen demand, sulfur dioxide, ammonia nitrogen, and nitrogen oxide emissions to decrease by more than 3.9%, 2%, 2%, 2%, and 5% annually, respectively; and carbon dioxide emissions per unit of GDP to decrease by more than 4% and 3.5% annually, respectively. In an online interview with the Chinese government website, he stated that based on an average annual GDP growth of 7.5% for China in the next two years, 320 million tons of standard coal equivalent need to be saved. To achieve this, structural adjustment measures such as eliminating outdated production capacity, curbing new production capacity in high-energy-consuming industries, and developing the service industry and strategic emerging industries will be implemented to save 169 million tons of standard coal equivalent. Through measures such as implementing energy-saving technological upgrades and promoting energy-saving technologies and products, 147 million tons of standard coal equivalent will be saved; 20 million tons of standard coal equivalent will be saved through the promotion of energy management systems. To achieve its nitrogen oxide emission reduction targets, China will reduce emissions by 2.6 million tons through denitrification upgrades of coal-fired power plants and cement clinker production lines, and strengthened operational supervision; and reduce emissions by 1.4 million tons through "coal-to-gas" conversion, elimination of outdated production capacity, elimination of yellow-label vehicles, and oil product upgrading. Lu Wenbin mentioned that some localities lack a deep understanding of energy conservation and emission reduction work. The central government has proposed...
