China has been sweating a lot this past summer, not only because of the high temperatures. The problem of a shortage of coal and oil has resulted in a power shortage, the likes of which have not been seen for a good many years. Short of power, many cities had to limit the power usage for air-conditioners and illumination. Over 2,000 enterprises in Shanghai had to reschedule their production to evenings or at weekends.

　　So who is going to supply China with power?

　　China’s per-capita resources are not encouraging. In recent years, the increase of power demand has far outpaced economic development, which has resulted in severe power shortages.

　　I remember that several years ago, when China was faced with food shortages, some people also raised the question of “who is going to feed China?” The fact is, after a series of measures taken, the food supply in China has generally reached a kind of balance between supply and demand. And for a time, the food supply even exceeded demand. Energy is a different situation. But there is one thing in common, that is, in such a populous nation as China, the relations between supply and demand should not be taken lightly. China should have its own way of solving its own problems.

　　Besides an imbalance between storage and supply-demand, an energy shortage also results from other factors. For instance, the industrial structure. Fast developing industries in China, like machinery, auto, steel and cement, are all high energy-consuming industries. Another factor is the low utilization rate of energy. Among China’s eight major high energy-consuming industries, which account for 73 percent of the total industrial energy consumption, consumption is 47 percent higher than that of the world advanced level.

　　A large number of high energy-consuming industries, plus low energy efficiency, unsurprisingly lead to an energy shortage. So it is a wise choice for China to properly reduce the number of new high energy-consuming projects, including foreign-invested ones.

　　The waste of energy is also a common phenomenon: There are countless vehicles running on the roads, transporting few people or goods; and the lights in the skyscrapers shine all night even in times of an energy shortage. We should once again remind people to be prudent.

　　In the long run, increasing the use of new and renewable energy is an important way to solve the energy shortage. Though it takes time to replace coal and oil, the new and renewable energy sources are a fundamental way out.

　　In such a time when energy is scarce, it is necessary to strengthen cooperation with other energy supplying countries, while also transforming our way of economic growth. Enterprises and ordinary consumers should reduce their consumption, stop wasting energy and improve the utilization ratio of energy. In this way, we can form a prudent way of production and consumption and build an energy-saving society.

　　By LI JIANGUO