China: Martin Lidegaard visits China December 17-19, 2012
The Danish minister for Climate, Energy and Building Martin Lidegaard has been on a two-day official visit to China December 17-19. The objective of the visit was to ensure the progress of a number of Memorandum of Understandings on energy signed by Denmark and China during President HU Jintao’s visit to Denmark in June 2012.
China faces substantial challenges until 2050 making its economy more sustainable – a field where Denmark has specific strengths. More than 90 per cent of China’s energy consumption is today covered by fossil energy sources, especially coal. In 2020, China has the objective that 15 per cent of the energy supply has to be covered by alternative energy sources. At the same time the energy intensity per GDP-unit has to be significantly improved. Here China can benefit from the unique Danish experiences and expertise within energy efficiency improvement, renewable energy technologies and energy policy planning and regulation. Particularly the Danish experiences applying long-term scenario based analyses to the energy policy design have sparked an interest in China.
“The cooperation with China on renewable energy and energy efficiency shows that there is a h2 wish in China to make the growth greener. My meetings in China indicate a positive interest towards the Sino-Danish energy cooperation – not least Danish experiences with long-term 2050 scenarios. Here the Danish Energy Agency will cooperate with the China National Renewable Energy Centre and Danish experiences with energy policy can be a lever for a more long-term and sustainable conversion of China’s energy sector”, says Martin Lidegaard.
The Danish Energy Agency has a close cooperation with the China National Renewable Energy Centre (CNREC). With technical expertise and assistance from the Danish Energy Agency and EA Consult CNREC among other prepares a 2050 scenario work analysing the possibilities to reach a high share of renewable energy in the Chinese energy system by 2050. The project will also analyse emission reductions, additional costs, macroeconomic effects etc. resulting from an extensive expansion with renewable energy in China.
During the visit Martin Lidegaard therefore met with the minister for energy, Mr. LIU Tienan, with minister of Science and Technology, Mr. WAN Gang and with the CNREC board where among other the 2050 scenario work and its release in 2013 was discussed with positive expectations from both parts.
Martin Lidegaard furthermore met with the Chinese vice-minister of the National Development and Reform Commission, Mr. ZHANG Guobao and also with the Chinese minister for Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr. JIANG Weixin and the vice-president of State Grid, the national Chinese power grid company. Martin Lidegaard also had the opportunity to meet with the Chinese vice-minister for energy, LIU Qi, who has visited Denmark several times.
During the visit also a follow-up agreement was signed between the Danish energy technology programme EUDP and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology that provides the framework for a joint call for development and demonstration projects in 2013 focusing on wind energy and smart grids in a wide sense.
Additional to this, seven Danish companies – COWI, AVJ, Danfoss, Grundfoss, NNE Parhamplan, VELUX and Rockwool - signed a strategic partnership agreement with Nanjing’s “High Tech Zone” on building a sustainable park for biopharmaceutical companies in Nanjing.
Read more news and information at the Danish Energy Agency's website.
The Danish minister for Climate, Energy and Building visit China - "We can make a difference".
Søren Mensal Kristensen
Specialkonsulent
Center for Global Rådgivning og Forhandling
Tlf.:
smk@ens.dk