Independent body?

The national bureau is reportedly choosing a separate location for its offices despite that its chief Zhang Guobao also held the position as vice-minister of the NDRC. This has been reportedly seen as a sign of the bureau's increased independence from the NDRC.

The other two deputy directors of the national bureau are Zhao Xiaoping and Sun Qin, whose positions are at vice-minister level.

In addition to increasing oil and coal supplies, the national bureau has decided to tap the potentials of nuclear power and renewable energy. Zhang said recently that the country will accelerate the construction of nuclear power plants, particularly in the coastal regions, to ease mounting pressures on coal transportation from the northern regions and electricity transmission from west China.

The move, which could see nuclear power making up a minimum of 5 percent of the country's total energy mix in 2020, from the current level of less than 2 percent. That is higher than a previous target by 2020 of 4 percent set in 2005.

The bureau has also announced that the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Gansu and Jiangsu provinces will be the site of the country's first wind power clusters, designed with an electrical capacity of 10 million kW each. This is compared with about 18 million kW from the Three Gorges electrical power generators in the Yangtze River.

The national bureau's other mission will be developing renewable energy, which is targeted to account for 10 percent of China's energy mix by 2010 when the total energy consumption is projected to reach 3 billion tons of standard coal equivalent.

China will also tap hydropower, which is predicted to reach 190 million kw by 2010, up from 117 million kw in 2005. And wind farms are expected to generate 10 million kw by 2010, going up from 1.31 million kw in 2005.

Solar power and bio-fuels will also play a bigger role. Solar power is predicted to generate 300,000 kw by 2010, up from 70,000 kw in 2005. And by 2010, it is hoped bio-fuels will produce 55 million kw, up from 2 million kw in 2005.

China plans to make alternative energy account for 16 percent of the total energy consumption by 2020. Currently, renewable energy consists of 7.5 percent of China's power mix.

While insisting on exploring more resources, Premier Wen Jiabao has urged to implement strict measures to save energy and realize its targets of saving 20 percent of per unit GDP energy consumption during 2006-10 period.

The major responsibility for energy conservation has been taken by the NDRC's department of resource utilization and conservation. The commission said earlier that China has been implementing its energy saving measures to realize its ceiling target of energy consumption 3 billion tons of standard coal equivalent by 2010.

Last year, China has consumed 2.65 billion tons of standard coal equivalent, up 7.8 percent from 2006. And consumption growth slowed by 1.81 percent year-on-year.