Preface

Energy is the material basis for the progress of human civilization and an indispensable basic condition for the development of modern society. It remains a major strategic issue for China as the country moves towards its goals of modernization and common prosperity for its people.

Since China adopted the policy of reform and opening up in the late 1970s, its energy industry has made great advances. China is now the world's largest energy producer. It has built up a comprehensive energy supply system comprising coal, electricity, petroleum, natural gas, and new and renewable energy resources. Its universal energy service and civil energy use conditions have markedly improved. Its thriving energy industry provides a guarantee for the country to reduce poverty, improve the people's livelihood and maintain long-term, steady and rapid economic development.

However, China's energy development still faces many challenges. The country's energy resource endowment is not high and its per-capita share of coal, petroleum and natural gas is low. Its energy consumption has grown too quickly in recent years, increasing the strain on energy supply. Fossil energy resources have been exploited on a large scale, causing a certain amount of damage to the eco-environment.

To curb excessive consumption of energy resources and achieve the comprehensive, balanced and sustainable development of the economy, society and ecology, China keeps strengthening its efforts in energy conservation and emission reduction, and strives to raise the efficiency of energy utilization. As a result, energy consumption per unit of GDP has been decreasing year by year. China will continue to take the Scientific Outlook on Development as its guiding principle, and work hard to transform its development pattern, giving prominence to building a resource-conserving and environment-friendly society. It relies on scientific, technological and system innovation to raise efficiency in all aspects of energy utilization, further develops new and renewable energy resources, and promotes the clean and efficient development and utilization of fossil energy resources. The country endeavors to build a modern energy industry which is secure, stable, economical and clean, in order to provide a solid guarantee for building a moderately prosperous society in all respects and make greater contributions to the world's economic development.