Shenzhen of south China's Guangdong Province will support the construction of energy-saving buildings to achieve a sustainable economy, Shenzhen Vice Mayor Lu Ruifeng said yesterday.

Lu is presently leading a 60-member Shenzhen delegation in Beijing to promote Shenzhen-made products at an international expo on green buildings and energy-saving products, which opened yesterday.

The Shenzhen booths highlighting solar products attracted numerous visitors, including Vice Premier Zeng Peiyan, who voiced his encouragement for the Shenzhen delegation.

Shenzhen owns the intellectual property rights to more than 50 percent of the products on display at the fair, according to Lu.

Buildings account for more than 30 percent of the total energy consumed by the city annually.

Shenzhen will soon announce a regulation on energy-saving buildings to standardize the sector, according to Lu.

He said the city will also encourage development of innovative construction materials by supporting consumers tapping ways to save energy, and funding enterprises and research institutions engaged in the sector as well.

Shenzhen has more than 700 manufacturers of energy-saving lamps, two-thirds of whose products are exported to other cities, Lu said. He said it was a pity that the producers could not make an impact in the local market and promised to present more favorable policies to encourage residents to use Shenzhen-made lamps.

The government will serve as a model for enterprises by applying energy-saving technologies to the government-funded housing estates such as Qiaoxiangcun, Lu said.

(Shenzhen Daily March 30, 2006)