China's central government has earmarked 2.5 billion yuan (US$363 million) in energy conservation and pollution control projects as part of a national plan to stimulate economic growth.

The money is part of the 100-billion-yuan government spending package for the quarter, the National Development and Reform Commission, the top planning agency, said yesterday.

The funds will be spent in projects such as upgrading coal-fired boilers, water conservation and industrial waste management, the commission said.

Once completed, the projects could help save energy use equal to 11 million tons of standard coal, 215 million tons of water, and reduce chemical oxygen demand, a measure of water pollution, by more than 50,000 tons, as well as effectively treat 456,000 tons of the toxic chromium waste, the commission said.

Government spending on these projects will encourage companies to invest about 37 billion yuan, helping push forward China's effort in cutting energy intensity and pollution, the commission said.

China has set a five-year goal of cutting the amount of energy required to produce a unit of gross domestic product by 20 percent and reducing the emission of major pollutants by 10 percent by 2010.

Over the next 10 years, China could potentially cut energy use per unit of GDP by as much as 50 percent as the state may give greater support to related industries, China International Capital Corp said in a report last month.

(Shanghai Daily December 4, 2008)