ABSTRACT
China’s production of primary energy increased nearly forty times between 1949 and 1987. China now ranks fourth in the world as a fuel producer, and third as a fuel consumer. There is low per capita fuel consumption, and China is a very inefficient energy consumer, although there has been an improvement in recent years. There have been prolonged energy shortages since the 1960s, and it is estimated that at present roughly 20 per cent of industrial capacity suffers from fuel shortages. Household energy consumption has also had to be kept at a low level. Coal is the main commercial fuel, followed in importance by oil. Biomass and other non-commercial fuels account for over 80 per cent of rural energy supply, while 80 per cent of total rural energy is consumed in peasant households. 1
