(Xinhua)
Updated: 2007-09-04 19:46

China will increase the portion of renewable resources to 15 percent in its total energy consumption in 2020 in a bid to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and pursue sustained economic growth, according to a national plan published on Tuesday.

China's renewable energy usage will total 600 million tons of coal equivalent by 2020, compared with 166 million tons in 2005 which accounted for 7.5 percent of the country's total energy consumption.

The plan would cost China two trillion yuan (US$266.7 billion) during the 2006-2020 period, said Chen Deming, vice minister in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

As coal currently feeds most of China's energy needs and causes serious pollution, the plan highlights the development of hydropower, wind power, biomass and solar energy.

By 2020, the country's installed hydropower capacity is expected to reach 300 million kilowatts (kW), wind power capacity 30 million kW, biomass power 30 million kW and solar power 1.8 million kW.

According to the plan published by NDRC, China will also provide electricity to remote, off-grid regions and alleviate fuel shortages in rural areas by using renewable energy.

By 2020, about 300 million rural people will use biogas as their main fuel, when China will use 10 million tons of bio-ethanol and two million tons of bio-diesel to replace 10 million tons of oil annually.