Enel and China join efforts in mitigating climate change
In order to achieve its emission reduction target, China is focusing on
international cooperation, in which Enel plays a part
China is the country with the highest greenhouse gas emissions in the world.
The latter is justified by the fact that it is also the country with the
greatest amount of inhabitants, the highest rate of industrial development and
with 75% of its electricity generated from coal.
Nevertheless, it is also the country that is investing the most in emission
reduction. Indeed, it is committed "to ensuring that by 2020, 15% of the
total energy consumption in China will come from low carbon sources. It is also
committed to reducing the ratio between energy consumption and GNP by 40-45%
compared to 2005 levels”, said Xiaokang Wang, General Manager of CECIC, the
Chinese public corporation that promotes energy saving, new technologies and
environmental protection.
A commitment which was substantiated through last year investment in
renewable energy and green technologies, amounting to $34.6 billion, almost
twice as much as the US (18.6 billion), a much wealthier country whose total
emissions are almost as high.
As regards its efforts to reduce CO2 emissions, China relies heavily on
international cooperation. "Compared to Western countries, in the field of
sources to be used as an alternative to fossil fuels we are 15-20 years behind.
But we have decided to take serious action in order to fill this gap”, said
Wang.
China is highly interested in all of Enel’s projects to reduce emissions
from coal, such as the carbon capture and storage technology that will be
applied at the new Porto Tolle plant and that is already used in Civitavecchia.
For this reason Enel was the only Western energy utility that was invited to
the Low Carbon Forum held in Beijing in April.
"The portfolio of GHG reduction abatement projects that the Enel Group
is developing in China includes over 90 projects, of which 47 have already been
registered by the United Nations", said Mori, who added that "overall,
Enel’s portfolio is equivalent to 13% of all emission reduction projects to be
developed in developing countries".
