China looks at market measures to clean environment

China may limit sales of power by inefficient power plants and give clean energy projects preference, the South China Morning Post reported. The move would, in effect, use market economy measures to protect the environment. "The government will soon issue a document on energy conservation and emission reduction through market economy means," said Wang Qiang, director of policy and regulations at the State Electricity Regulatory Commission. No details of the new policy, expected to come out this year, were released but the curbs could hurt profitability at heavy-polluting plants, thus putting pressure on owners to clean them up or close them. The central government did not meet its targets last year to cut energy consumption by 4% per unit of GDP and reduce emissions by 2% but pressure is mounting for it to curb pollution at home as forecasts predict it will surpass the US as the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide by 2009.