Biomass energy could fuel 1/3 of rural China

Biomass energy could meet about one-third of rural China’s energy needs by 2020, according to a national action plan developed with funding from the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP).

The “National Action Plan for Rural Biomass Renewable Energy Development in China” provides detailed measures to help China to reach its medium- and long-term biomass energy development goals.

“The report shows that Chinese biomass energy has great potential, with rural household energy demand expected to increase to 300 million tce (tonne of coal equivalent) in 2020, clean biomass energy should be able to provide more than 30 percent of rural energy demand,” said Liu Xin, managing director of Energy Development Consulting Ltd. “The rural agricultural sector will provide ethanol and biodiesel from high-yield energy crops and support the national strategic goal of producing alternative fuel products to substitute 10 million tons of fossil fuel products by 2020.”

The plan has been submitted to the Chinese Ministry of Agriculture for government approval.