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Factors influencing energy intensity in four Chinese industries

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  • Fisher-Vanden, Karen
  • Hu, Yong
  • Jefferson, Gary
  • Rock, Michael
  • Toman, Michael

Abstract

Energy intensity has declined significantly in four Chinese industries -- pulp and paper; cement; iron and steel; and aluminum. While previous studies have identified technological change within an industry to be an important influence on energy intensity, few have examined how industry-specific policies and market factors also affect industry-level intensity. This paper employs unique firm-level data from China's most energy-intensive large and medium-size industrial enterprises in each of these four industries over a six-year period from 1999 to 2004. It empirically examines how China's energy-saving programs, liberalization of domestic markets, openness to the world economy, and other policies, contribute to the decline in energy intensity in these industries. The results suggest that rising energy costs are a significant contributor to the decline in energy intensity in all four industries. China's industrial policies targeting scale economies -- for example,"grasping the large, letting go off the small"-- also seem to have contributed to reductions in energy intensity in these four industries. However, the results also suggest that trade openness and technology development led to declines in energy intensity in only one or two of these industries. Finally, the analysis finds that energy intensities vary among firms with different ownership types and regional locations.

Suggested Citation

  • Fisher-Vanden, Karen & Hu, Yong & Jefferson, Gary & Rock, Michael & Toman, Michael, 2013. "Factors influencing energy intensity in four Chinese industries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 6551, The World Bank.
    • Handle: RePEc:wbk:wbrwps:6551
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Victor Ajayi & David Reiner, 2018. "European Industrial Energy Intensity: The Role of Innovation 1995-2009," Working Papers EPRG 1818, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    2. Le Tang, 2020. "Energy prices and investment in energy efficiency: evidence from Chinese industry 1997–2004," Asian-Pacific Economic Literature, The Crawford School, The Australian National University, vol. 34(2), pages 93-105, November.
    3. Liu, Liang & Yang, Kun & Fujii, Hidemichi & Liu, Jun, 2021. "Artificial intelligence and energy intensity in China’s industrial sector: Effect and transmission channel," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C), pages 276-293.
    4. Bhat, Javed Ahmad & Haider, Salman & Kamaiah, Bandi, 2018. "Interstate energy efficiency of Indian paper industry: A slack-based non-parametric approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 161(C), pages 284-298.
    5. Lu & Pollitt, M. G. & Wang, K. & Wei, Y-M., 2023. "The Incremental Impact of China's Carbon," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 2349, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    6. Gregor Singer, 2024. "Complementary Inputs and Industrial Development: Can Lower Electricity Prices Improve Energy Efficiency?," CESifo Working Paper Series 10944, CESifo.
    7. Xiekui Zhang & Peiyao Liu & Hongfei Zhu, 2022. "The Impact of Industrial Intelligence on Energy Intensity: Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(12), pages 1-16, June.
    8. Cui, Huanyu & Cao, Yuequn, 2023. "How can market-oriented environmental regulation improve urban energy efficiency? Evidence from quasi-experiment in China's SO2 trading emissions system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 278(C).
    9. Mei Lu & Michael G. Pollitt & Ke Wang & Yi-Ming Wei, 2023. "The incremental impact of China’s carbon trading pilots," Working Papers EPRG2316, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    10. Bożena Gajdzik & Włodzimierz Sroka & Jolita Vveinhardt, 2021. "Energy Intensity of Steel Manufactured Utilising EAF Technology as a Function of Investments Made: The Case of the Steel Industry in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-17, August.
    11. Wu, Ya & Su, JingRong & Li, Ke & Sun, Chuanwang, 2019. "Comparative study on power efficiency of China's provincial steel industry and its influencing factors," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 175(C), pages 1009-1020.
    12. Iris Claus & Les Oxley & Siqi Zheng & Cong Sun & Ye Qi & Matthew E. Kahn, 2014. "The Evolving Geography Of China'S Industrial Production: Implications For Pollution Dynamics And Urban Quality Of Life," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 28(4), pages 709-724, September.
    13. Isabelle Cadoret & Fabio Padovano, 2018. "Derterminants and consequences of the stringency of environmental policies: an empirical test," Economics Working Paper from Condorcet Center for political Economy at CREM-CNRS 2018-04-ccr, Condorcet Center for political Economy.
    14. Wang, En-Ze & Lee, Chien-Chiang & Li, Yaya, 2022. "Assessing the impact of industrial robots on manufacturing energy intensity in 38 countries," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    15. Shuxing Chen & Xiangyang Du & Junbing Huang & Cheng Huang, 2019. "The Impact of Foreign and Indigenous Innovations on the Energy Intensity of China’s Industries," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-18, February.
    16. Haider, Salman & Danish, Mohd Shadab & Sharma, Ruchi, 2019. "Assessing energy efficiency of Indian paper industry and influencing factors: A slack-based firm-level analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 81(C), pages 454-464.
    17. Si, Shuyang & Lyu, Mingjie & Lin Lawell, C.-Y. Cynthia & Chen, Song, 2018. "The effects of energy-related policies on energy consumption in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(C), pages 202-227.
    18. Zhang, Xiaoyu & Zhou, Jinlan & Du, Xiaodong, 2022. "Impact of oil price uncertainty shocks on China’s macro-economy," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    19. Singer, Gregor, 2024. "Complementary inputs and industrial development: can lower electricity prices improve energy efficiency?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 122365, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.

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    Keywords

    Energy Production and Transportation; Environment and Energy Efficiency; Energy and Environment; Water and Industry; E-Business;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • F0 - International Economics - - General

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