China's energy consumption per 10,000 yuan of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2008 was reduced to1.10 tonnes of standard coal from 3.39 tonnes in 1980, China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Sunday.

The progress was a result of China's efforts to cut emissions and develop low-carbon economy, the NBS said in a statement.

Since the 1980s, especially during the past few years, China had raised energy efficiency by eliminating high energy-consuming equipment and introducing energy-saving technologies, it said.

The energy consumption per 10, 000 yuan of GDP was down 1.79 percent year on year in 2006, 4.04 percent in 2007, and 4.59 percent in 2008, according to NBS.

China has become more efficient in energy processing and conversion. The efficiency of energy processing and conversion in 2008 was 0.82 percentage points higher than that of 2007.

China has set a target to cut energy consumption for every 10,000 yuan of GDP by 20 percent from 2006 to 2010 in its 11th national development plan.

Statistics of the NBS showed China's national economy grew by 9.8 percent annually during the past 30 years, with its energy consumption up 5.2 percent annually for the same period.

(Xinhua News Agency October 5, 2009)