The State Economic and Trade commission recently promised to lend money and labour power to shore up the environmental theme of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
The commission will sponsor 20 projects within the next two years to reinforce the capacity of the Chinese capital in treating pollution, recycling resources and conserving water and energy, said division director He Bingguang.
"An estimated 3 billion yuan (US$361 million) will be channelled for the 20 projects to help make the 2008 sporting event a genuinely green one,'' the official said.
The commission plans to help build a State-level Olympic village pilot project, where a high-efficiency, energy-saving lighting system will be used, He said in an interview with China Daily.
Solar-energy heat-collecting and solar power generating systems will be integrated with the buildings and some Olympic facilities in the village, he said.
Under the commission's plan, notorious pollution-causing facilities -- including the Capital Iron and Steel Corporation and a cement plant in Beijing's Fangshan District and a coal-burning power plant in Shijingshan District -- will undergo substantial technological transformation. Cars using outdated technology will be phased out from Beijing's streets.
The commission will support the development of high-efficiency equipment and expertise that saves water and energy, and it will promote clean production among enterprises in Beijing, he said.
In addition, more communities in
Beijing will get recycling facilities to process reusable resources, including the dismantling and reuse of household electric appliance and computer components, he said.
The projects will be open to international bidding, giving foreign companies business opportunities, he said.
SETC will also organize experts to provide environmental protection consultancy services for the Olympics, he said.
Mayor Liu Qi -- also president of the
Beijing Organizing Committee of the 2008 Olympic Games -- said
Beijing has ushered in a fast-developing era, which is dominated by Olympic-related preparations.
Earlier this month, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced that the government would invest 880 million yuan (US$106 million) over the "next few years'' to speed up the development of electric vehicles.
The electric cars -- which are almost pollution-free compared to conventional petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles -- will be put into special transport service for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, said Li Jian, director of the ministry's Department of High-Tech Development and Industrialization.
