Do not leave your TV on standby and go out. Do not set the air conditioners on extremely low temperatures. Forget about any energy-sapping projects you had planned.

The list of dos and don'ts from the Chinese government runs long and is designed to involve individuals, organizations and industrial and commercial enterprises nationwide in an energy-saving campaign.

The State Council will launch the weeklong campaign on Sunday with an eye toward avoiding the widespread electricity shortages this summer that plagued many parts of the country last year.

The event is part of a three-year national campaign to save and promote the effective use of major resources.

Earlier this month, the State Council called on all localities to join the effort to conserve resources such as electricity, raw materials, water and land.

"Electricity shortages have become a major factor holding back economic and social development," said Zhao Jiarong, of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), at Thursday's press conference.

At present, over 70 percent of China's provinces and autonomous regions are suffering from electricity shortages. Last year, more than half of the nation was similarly affected.

The NDRC predicted earlier this year that power consumption would grow 11 percent year-on-year to 2.1 trillion kilowatt-hours this year. Generating capacity, however, is expected to increase by only 9.6 percent, or 37,200 megawatts.

The commission is calling for peak-period electricity prices to be jerked upward to decrease power consumption and encourage use during non-peak times. However, residential users will not pay more for power this year.

"Improving generating capacity is one thing, but the whole of society should not ignore energy-saving practices," said Zhao.

(China Daily June 4, 2004)