Economia: Suministro energético de Pekín

Cómo gestionar una demanda de electricidad creciente en la capital de China?

La tradicional solución de ahorrar ya no parece sostenible a largo plazo y pone de manifiesto la necesidad de China de apostar por energías renovables y no contaminantes que no comprometan el desarrollo futuro

Power crunch

Beijing, like most large Chinese cities, is struggling to meet its energy needs. The city reported an economic growth rate of 12% in 2006 (its eighth straight year of double-digit growth), and energy officials are working to rein in the rising energy usage of the city's increasingly prosperous residents. In March the city government began asking its own workers to cut their energy consumption by making more use of natural light in their offices and making less use of official cars.

The city's five-year plan for energy efficiency should reduce Beijing's demand considerably by 2010. This involves a shift in the make-up of the city's economy, moving heavy industry out of town while encouraging more high-tech, light industrial and service-sector activity within Beijing. New buildings in the city tend to be more energy efficient. Officials say the city met its targets for energy reduction in the first three quarters of 2006, but they want to reduce it even further. New regulations will require that future residential and commercial projects submit projections of energy usage before they receive official approval. Beijing has not experienced comprehensive blackouts, but the city has responded to shortages in recent years by scheduling brownouts or temporary stoppages in some areas, lasting between several hours and all day.