Northwest China’s Shaanxi Province is making every effort for green and sustainable development by transforming development mode, upgrading industries and improving environment.
　　The use of new energy plays a great role in this process. The Xi’an-based Yanchang Zhongli New Energy Co., Ltd is engaged in producing alternative fuels for automobiles. The methanol fuel it produces blends methanol and gasoline. With its advantages, the fuel is said to reduce carbon dioxide emissions up to 70 percent.
　　“Due to the growing need of energy and the rising trend in oil prices, it is meaningful to develop new fuels,” Wang Min, vice president of the company, told China’s Foreign Trade.
　　“The use of the fuel begins with taxis and has been gradually introduced into private cars. We expect a promising future for this fuel,”Zhang Fading, senior engineer and director of R & D Center of the company, told China’s Foreign Trade. At present Shaanxi has seven methanolgasoline blending centers and with its rich coal reserves, the province will see more methanolfueled cars on the road.
　　Alternative energy is one of seven strategic sectors now receiving government subsidies, with a planned expenditure of 10 trillion yuan($1.59 trillion) over China’s 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015).
　　Shaanxi is also eyeing for international support. Orka Energy Ltd, Iceland’s main utility company and producer of geothermal energy, has set up plants in Shaanxi with Sinopec Group, China’s second largest oil company. The joint venture aims to develop geothermal energy and reduce the use of coal in house heating and electricity in China, China Daily reported.
　　Environmental pollution is another concern of Shaanxi. The conservation of the 818-km Weihe River, the longest tributary of the Yellow River, is under way. The plan of treating the river, released in early 2011, aims to upgrade the river to a green river, a scenic spot, a barrier against inundation and a platform for industries cluster.
　　Since then, the treatment has been initiated with the investment in 2011 totaling RMB 4.2 billion. This year the investment is expected to rise to RMB 6 billion for dike reinforcement, waste control, beach cleaning, bridge building and landscaping.
　　The river originates in Shaanxi’s neighboring province Gansu and flows past major industrial cities in Shaanxi, including Baoji, Xianyang, Xi’an and Weinan. Last December, Shaanxi and Gansu set up an environmental protection alliance, vowing to curb pollution and save the river. The alliance includes six cities — Dingxi, Tianshui, Baoji, Xianyang, Xi’an and Weinan, Xinhua News Agency reported.
　　Due to waste discharges from paper mills and other high-polluting plants, the Weihe river has been seriously polluted over the past two decades. Despite years of efforts to curb pollution, the River remains the Yellow River’s most polluted tributary.