China has set the goal of attaining one percent of its renewable energy generation through bioenergy in 2020. The development of bioenergy in China is needed to meet the rising energy demand. Several institutions are involved in this development, most notably the

Asian Development Bank The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is a regional development bank established on 19 December 1966, which is headquartered in the Ortigas Center located in the city of Mandaluyong, Metro Manila, Philippines. The bank also maintains 31 field offic ...

and China's Ministry of Agriculture. There is also an added incentive to develop the bioenergy sector which is to increase the development of the rural agricultural sector. As of 2005, bioenergy use has reached more than 20 million households in the rural areas, with

methane gas Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Ear ...

as the main biofuel. Also more than 4000 bioenergy facilities produce 8 billion cubic metres every year of methane gas. By 2006 20% of "gasoline" consumed was actually a 10% ethanol-gasoline blend. ('
People's Daily Online
'') As of 2010, electricity generation by bioenergy is expected to reach 5 GW, and 30 GW by 2020. The annual use of methane gas is expected to be 19 cubic kilometers by 2010, and 40 cubic kilometers by 2020. *China is the world's third-largest producer of

ethanol Ethanol (abbr. EtOH; also called ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, drinking alcohol, or simply alcohol) is an organic compound. It is an alcohol with the chemical formula . Its formula can be also written as or (an ethyl group linked to a ...

, after

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

.RFA
*Although only 0.71% of the country's grain yield (3.366 million tons of grain) in 2006 was used for production of

, concern has been expressed over potential conflicts between demands for food and fuel, as crop prices rose in late 200

Events

*10–12 October 2006, Beijing, China: '
Asia Biofuels Conference and Expo IV
''. *24–27 October 2006, Beijing, China: '
Great Wall Renewable Energy Forum
''. Includes a technical conference and trade show. *7–9 November 2006; Beijing, China: '
Hart's 5th Annual World Refining and Fuels Conference: Asia
'', Hotel Kunlun.

Developments

*'

'', 23 June 2007 from chinagate.com.cn. Daxu wins an

Ashden Award Ashden is a London-based charity that works in the field of sustainable energy and development. Its work includes the annual Ashden Awards, advocacy and research in the field of sustainable energy, and mentoring and practical support for award w ...

for producing over 25,000 efficient stoves that can burn crop waste for cooking and hot water. More details availabl
here
*'
CASP agreement to benefit biofuel producers in Mekong
'', 11 April 2007 from Biofuelreview.com. Agriculture ministers from 6 countries,

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailan ...

, China, Laos,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, and

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

have endorsed the Core Agricultural Support Program, which will work toward increasing trade and investment in agriculture in the Greater Mekong Subregion. A major focus will be helping farmers reap the benefits of new

energy crops Energy crops are low-cost and low-maintenance crops grown solely for energy production by combustion (not for food). The crops are processed into solid, liquid or gaseous fuels, such as pellets, bioethanol or biogas. The fuels are burned to ...

and related technologies. *'
Chinese Biofuels Expansion Threatens Ecological Balance
'', March 27, 2007 from Renewable Energy Access. A recent agreement between China's top forestry authority and one of the nation's biggest energy giants to develop biofuels plantations in the southwest may come at great environmental loss to the region's forests and biological diversity. *'
China plans to plant an area the size of England with biofuel trees
'' 8 February 2007 fro
China Daily
China will plant 130,000 square kilometres, an area the size of

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, with

Jatropha ''Jatropha'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἰατρός (''iatros''), meaning "physician", and τροφή (''trophe''), meaning "nutrition", hence the common name ...

trees to produce oil amounting to nearly 6 million tons of

biodiesel Biodiesel is a form of diesel fuel derived from plants or animals and consisting of long-chain fatty acid esters. It is typically made by chemically reacting lipids such as animal fat ( tallow), soybean oil, or some other vegetable oil ...

every year. The jatropha trees can also provide wood fuel for a power plant with an installed capacity of 12 million kilowatts, will account for 30% of the country's renewable energy by 2010. *'
Ethanol fuels hopes of China's small farmers
'' 29 January 2007 fro
The Standard
Beijing's push to create more

from

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

and

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus '' Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalk ...

may benefit farmers in Guanxi, but with China already a net-importer of

tapioca Tapioca (; ) is a starch extracted from the storage roots of the cassava plant (''Manihot esculenta,'' also known as manioc), a species native to the North and Northeast regions of Brazil, but whose use is now spread throughout South America ...

and sugar it is not clear that there will be enough feedstocks to go around. *'
Biodiesel Sweeps China in Controversy
'' 23 January 2007 fro
Renewable Energy Access
China is looking at new

feedstocks including a new variety of

rapeseed Rapeseed (''Brassica napus ''subsp.'' napus''), also known as rape, or oilseed rape, is a bright-yellow flowering member of the family Brassicaceae (mustard or cabbage family), cultivated mainly for its oil-rich seed, which naturally contains a ...

, Chinese pistachio and

jatropha ''Jatropha'' is a genus of flowering plants in the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae. The name is derived from the Greek words ἰατρός (''iatros''), meaning "physician", and τροφή (''trophe''), meaning "nutrition", hence the common name ...

. However, standards and regulations are lacking and concerns over food vs fuel are growing. *'
Biofuels eat into China's food stocks
'' - 21 December 2006 from Asia Times Online. China has clamped down on the use of corn and other edible grains for producing biofuels due to concerns that it will impact on

food security Food security speaks to the availability of food in a country (or geography) and the ability of individuals within that country (geography) to access, afford, and source adequate foodstuffs. According to the United Nations' Committee on World ...

. *

China Clean Energy China Clean Energy, Inc. ( OTC: CCGY), through its wholly owned subsidiary Fujian Zhongde Technology Co., Ltd. (“Fujian Zhongde”), is a biodiesel and specialty chemical producer operating in The People's Republic of China and selling product ...

outlines plan to expand

capacity using palm oil leavings as a feedstoc
(go to story)
'' - 18 December 2006 fro
Biofuel Review
*China halts expansion of corn-based ethanol industry to arrest food price ris
(go to story)
'' - 20 December 2006 fro
newKerala.com
*'
Shaanxi Mothers win top environmental award
'', 16 June 2006 from blueskieschina.com. Shaanxi Mothers wins an

for the fitting of almost 1,300 biogas systems in farming households across China's Shaanxi Province. More details availabl
here

Policy

The Renewable Energy Law of the People's Republic of China
- English translation of the law, which took effect 1 January 2006.

Targets

*Target of 10% renewable energy of the country's total energy consumption by 2010. *Alternative fuels: 6 million tons by 2010 and 15 million tons by 202

*Target of 50% use of ethanol-blended gasoline by 2010. *China has an annual production capacity of 1.02 million tons of ethanol. (source:'
People's Daily Online

Issues

Biofuel production

*" Corn accounted for 76 percent of the 1.02 million tons of ethanol produced" in 200

Bioenergy potential

*" Non-grain crops in China could eventually produce as much as 300 million

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton (United States c ...

a year, according to a report on the National Development and Reform Commission's websit

Organizations

Regional organizations

* Core Agriculture Support Program - A program that includes southern China and the countries of the Mekong Subregion in South-East Asia, that provides support for biofuel feedstock and other agricultural programs.

Government organizations

*'
english.gov.net
'' is the main English language portal for the Chinese Government. Many agencies do not yet have English language pages. China's circulars on bioenergy policy have been co-released by the following agencies: *'

'' English overview of the NDRC, which is "a macro-economic regulatory department, with a mandate to develop national economic strategies". It deals with China's targets for biofuels. **'
NDRC (Chinese only)
'' *'
State Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA)
'' *'

''The Ministry of Finance helps regulate subsidies and tax policy for bioenergy. **'
MOF (Chinese)
'' *'
Ministry of Agriculture (Chinese)
*'
State Forestry Administration (Chinese)
'' *'
State Administration of Taxation
''

Government websites (English)

*'

'' with an overview of Chinese environmental law, policy and case studies relating to cleaner production and the circular economy. *'
China Climate Change Info-Net
'' Information on laws, events, organizations and news dealing with climate change and renewable energy in China.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs)

Companies

* China National Petroleum Corporation **CNPC, through its subsidiary Jilin Fuel Ethanol Ltd. Co, built China's first ethanol plant using corn as a feedstock and now runs several other ethanol projects. Press Release
China's First fuel ethanol line into production in Jilin
27 November 2003. *'
China National Cereals, Oils and Foodstuffs Corporation (Chinese only)
'' **Plans to invest more than US$1 billion in

projects to increase production capacity to 3 million tons. **Currently owns an ethanol plant in

Heilongjiang Heilongjiang () formerly romanized as Heilungkiang, is a province in northeast China. The standard one-character abbreviation for the province is (). It was formerly romanized as "Heilungkiang". It is the northernmost and easternmost province ...

Province and has a 20 percent stake in another plant in

Jilin Jilin (; alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea ( Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, Ryanggang and Chagang) and Russia (Prim ...

Province, both using corn as a feedstock **The company is constructing an ethanol plant, which will use

as a feedstock, in the

Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region Guangxi (; ; alternately romanized as Kwanghsi; ; za, Gvangjsih, italics=yes), officially the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (GZAR), is an autonomous region of the People's Republic of China, located in South China and bordering Vietnam ( ...

. **Is awaiting Government permission to build two 300,000-ton-per-year ethanol plants in

Hebei Province Hebei or , (; alternately Hopeh) is a northern province of China. Hebei is China's sixth most populous province, with over 75 million people. Shijiazhuang is the capital city. The province is 96% Han Chinese, 3% Manchu, 0.8% Hui, and 0 ...

, using corn and sweet potatoes, and Liaoning Province, using only sweet potatoes. (source
Climate Change China Info-Net (.gov site)
*'

'' Large scale ethanol and biomass producer, using corn and

. Also doing research into

cellulosic ethanol Cellulosic ethanol is ethanol (ethyl alcohol) produced from cellulose (the stringy fiber of a plant) rather than from the plant's seeds or fruit. It can be produced from grasses, wood, algae, or other plants. It is generally discussed for use as a ...

. *'
China Integrated Energy
'' China Integrated Energy, Inc. is a leading non-state-owned, integrated energy company in China engaged in three business segments: the wholesale distribution of finished oil and heavy oil products, the production and sale of biodiesel, and the operation of retail gas stations. ;Publicly traded companies At least two publicly traded companies, China Clean Energy, Inc. and Gushan, manufacture and sell significant amounts of biodiesel in China.

Publications

*'
People's Republic of China Bio-Fuels: An Alternative Future for Agriculture 2006
'' prepared by Kevin Latner, Caleb O'Kray, Junyang Jiang;

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is the federal executive department responsible for developing and executing federal laws related to farming, forestry, rural economic development, and food. It aims to meet the needs of com ...

Foreign Agricultural Service, 8 August 2006. *'
Environmental and Social Impact Analysis: Stora Enso Plantation project in Guangxi, China
''

UNDP The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)french: Programme des Nations unies pour le développement, PNUD is a United Nations agency tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human dev ...

, 5 February 2006. This analyzes the social and environmental impact of a large-scale

forest plantation A tree plantation, forest plantation, plantation forest, timber plantation or tree farm is a forest planted for high volume production of wood, usually by planting one type of tree as a monoculture forest. The term ''tree farm'' also is used to ...

project by

Stora Enso Stora Enso Oyj (from sv, Stora and fi, Enso ) is a manufacturer of pulp, paper and other forest products, headquartered in Helsinki, Finland. The majority of sales takes place in Europe, but there are also significant operations in Asia and S ...

. Although this project is intended to supply pulp, its impacts are the same as if it were supplying bioenergy. *'
Liquid Biofuels for Transportation: Chinese Potential and Implications for Sustainable Agriculture and Energy in the 21st Century (PDF file)
'' - GTZ, 2005. *'
Health, Ecological, Energy And Economic Impacts Of Integrated Agricultural Bioenergy Systems In China And Institutional Strategies For Their Successful Diffusion (pdf)
'' by John Byrne, Young-Doo Wang, William Ritter (supervisors); Center for Energy and Environment Policy, U. of Delaware, October 2004. ;Other
Biomass energy in China and its potentialRethinking China’s bioenergy future
Lin Gan - May 21, 2007

References

China
- BioenergyWiki

External links

Biogas Scientific Research Institute
of the

Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...

{{Renewable energy by country Bioenergy Renewable energy in China Science and technology in the People's Republic of China