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China’s energy intensity – the energy consumed to produce a unit of gross domestic product (GDP) – dropped once again by 3.35% year on year for the first half of the year.

The drop continues – and improves on – the nation’s reductions in energy intensity, which were 2.88% for the same period last year.

China started initiatives to improve energy efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions three years ago with the target of reducing energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of GDP by 20% by 2010 compared with 2005 levels.

The country has continued to invest in energy efficiency and environmental measures, despite the economic downturn, and has earmarked 22.4 billion yuan for such measures since the end of 2008.

But it may be the economic downturn that is responsible for China’s decreasing energy intensity, rather than its energy efficiency drive. Energy intensity has fallen across all the country’s large industries – steel down 8.43%, coal 3.83%, nonferrous metals 19.59% and power generation 9.51%. China also closed down a number of small coal-fired power stations in 2006.

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