China's energy intensity, or energy consumption per unit of GDP, fell by 14.38 per cent between 2006 and 2010, said Xie Zhenhua, vice-chairman of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

This followed a four-year programme of replacing energy-inefficient small power plants with more efficient ones, he said. The government closed down inefficient thermal units with a net capacity of 60 gigawatts, as well as outdated iron, steel and cement production plants with capacities of 82, 60 and 214 million tonnes respectively, said the NDRC in a report released on Wednesday on the sidelines of the annual convening of China's legislature.

But Mr. Xie said the government's $586-billion stimulus spending on infrastructure projects, many of which involve high energy consumption, had severely set back its energy conservation drive.

“There is still a considerable gap between what we want to achieve and what we have achieved,” he said.

China on track to meet energy target