The Beijing municipal government said on Wednesday that the city's economy grew more than twice as fast as the increase of its energy consumption in the first three quarters of the year.

 

The Chinese capital consumed 43.15 million tons coal equivalent in the first three quarters, up 4.5 percent year-on-year, while it realized a domestic gross product (GDP) of 551.32 billion yuan (US$68.9 billion), up 12.2 percent year-on-year.

 

The ratio of GDP growth to energy consumption growth is 1:0.37.

 

Between 2000 and 2005, Beijing witnessed an average annual rise of 5.9 percent in energy consumption while its economy grew annually by 12 percent, said Yao Fei, assistant to director of Beijing Municipal Development and Reform Commission.

 

Yao said the development of the service industry was the main factor for lessening rise in energy consumption this year. The service industry consumes 0.4 ton coal equivalent for every 10,000 yuan (1,250 dollars) in GDP growth, only half of the general level in Beijing.

 

However, China's energy consumption for unit of GDP rose by 0.8 percent in the first half year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

 

China had hoped to cut its energy consumption per unit of GDP by 4 percent this year, as part of an ambitious plan to reduce its energy consumption by 20 percent per unit of GDP by the end of 2010.

 

(Xinhua News Agency November 9, 2006)