World Bank raises issues with China's renewables progress

• 14 years ago (2010-11-24)
• Junior Isles

Asia 892 Renewables 776

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The World Bank reports that China is making progress in meeting targets to generate 15 per cent of its electricity from non-fossil fuels by 2020, though it needs to improve and expand hydro generation and deal with inefficiency in its wind-power sector.

"China has achieved remarkable progress in developing renewable energy during the last three decades," Ede Ijjasz, World Bank China Sector Manager for Sustainable Development, said in a statement accompanying the report.

China is already planning a massive expansion of its hydroelectric power sector in its 12th five-year plan, which starts in 2011, despite worries that such schemes can cause environmental and social problems.

Its rapidly growing wind sector has also had its problems. According to the National Energy Administration, at the end of 2009 30 per cent of China's wind farms were not connected to the grid.

This is a major problem for China, which is planning a five-fold increase in wind power generating capacity from 34 GW in mid-2010. to 200 GW in 2020