The Chinese government will accelerate the establishment of a standard scientific evaluation system on energy consumption to meet energy and pollution targets based on accurate data.

The system, which would calculate energy consumption per unit of gross domestic product (GDP) will be put a priority this year, said Xie Fuzhan, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

Xie said the 2006 energy consumption figures would not be announced until they had been checked by the NBS to prevent provincial governments from compiling data using different methods.

Ensuring the precision of the figures was a difficult job, Xie said, adding it was imperative to improve the accuracy of data on energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP.

The NBS would improve the calculation mechanism and facilitate channels for local governments to report precise figures, Xie said.

China failed to meet targets to improve energy use and cut pollution last year, underscoring the difficulty of protecting the environment amid the nation's economic boom.

China had set goals last year to reduce energy consumption per unit of GDP by four percent and to cut emissions of pollutants by two percent.

But energy consumption actually increased by 0.8 percent per unit of GDP during the first half, while emissions of several key pollutants also rose, according to the National Development and Reform Commission.

(Xinhua News Agency January 19, 2007)