Shanghai Prepares to Use Huge Volume of Natural Gas
SHANGHAI, January 29 (Xinhua) -- Shanghai is preparing for a massive inflow of natural gas transmitted through a 4,000-km pipeline from northwest China.A steering group headed by Chen Liangyu, acting mayor of the east China metropolis, has been set up to oversee the preparations for the management and use of the huge volume of the clean energy.
The group consists of leading officials from nine municipal government departments, involving the Development Planning Commission, the Construction Commission, the Environmental Protection Bureau, the Firefighting Bureau, and the city's leading power companies.
Shanghai is also seeking advices from experts with the country' s prestigious research institutions over the management and use of natural gas resources.
Shanghai plans to use natural gas as energy for its industrial sector, power generation, and domestic cooking.
Several billion cubic meters of natural gas will be transmitted from Xinjiang in northwest China to east China, which greatly needs clean energy, as early as in 2003.
The increased consumption of natural gas will also help Shanghai to curb air pollution.
Local officials said Shanghai will need three billion cubic meters of natural gas by 2005, and the figure will double by 2010.
Shanghai consumed 54.92 million tons of standard coal in 2000.
According to the energy blueprint released by the city, the share of coal in the city's total energy consumption will be lowered to less than 51 percent by 2005, while the share of oil will grow to 39 percent.
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