China's energy structure continues to optimize

BEIJING — China's energy structure continued to improve in the first half of 2017 as the country consumed more clean energy amid a government campaign for greener growth.

Coal consumption, which stood at around 1.83 billion metric tons in the first six months, accounted for 59.8 percent of the overall energy use during the period, down 0.6 percentage points from the same period last year, according to Li Fulong, an official with the National Energy Administration.

In contrast, the share of natural gas and non-fossil fuels in the mix rose 0.3 percentage point to 20 percent.

Li noted that emerging industries and consumption-related sectors are contributing more to power use growth compared with traditional industries, which reflected the effects of China's structural reform.

In the latter half of the year, China's energy use will continue to expand, Li predicted.

The push for clean energy came as the government has intensified efforts to fight pollution.

According to the energy sector's five-year plan for 2016-2020, China aims to bring the share of coal in the country's energy mix down to below 58 percent.

By 2020, China's total energy consumption will be capped at 5 billion tons of coal equivalent, representing an annual rise of about 2.5 percent between 2016 and 2020.

The share of non-fossil fuels will rise to more than 15 percent and the share of natural gas should reach 10 percent, according to the plan.

A World Bank report released last month showed China ranked 21st in sustainable energy regulation, with its renewable energy score well above the global average and close to OECD countries in many respects.

China scored 81 on the first Regulatory Indicators for Sustainable Energy (RISE), a policy scorecard covering energy access, energy efficiency and renewable energy in 111 countries.