Nobuo Tanaka, executive head of the International Energy Agency (IEA), had said earlier that China's role in developing new clean coal technologies was critical as the speed and scale of China's expanding coal use has brought in a new urgency to deploying the full range of clean coal technologies.

The 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-10) for Coal Industry Development in China requires that the coal industry strengthen reforms in its industrial structure, take a sustainable path with high utilization rates, and reduce its environmental impact.

Premier Wen Jiabao has also asked for rapid industrialization of clean coal technologies and strengthening comprehensive utilization of resources, in the government work report speech he delivered at the opening of the second session of the 11th National People's Congress on March 4.

In addition, in the Chinese government plan to revitalize 10 key industries, it has vowed to curb blind development of coal chemical processing and suspend approval of projects that only aim to expand production capacity without regard to environmental impact.

Last year, the central government suspended all coal-to-oil projects. And, two coal-to-fuel projects, which have seen investments by Shenhua Group, China's largest coal producer, is still in a trial phase.

(China Daily May 6, 2009)