BEIJING: China is revising a law to impose harsher punishment on wasteful use of energy, the Government said on Sunday, at a time when the fast growth of the economy is putting higher demands on energy resources.

The Financial and Economic Committee of the National People's Congress, China's top legislature, and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) are jointly making a proposed revision of the law on saving energy resources, which is expected to be completed later this year, an NDRC source told Xinhua.

The law was put into effect eight years ago, but has not been used against any company for failing to meet energy-saving requirements. The Government is worried that it is difficult to reach this year's target of reducing energy costs for per unit gross domestic product.

The revised law will feature stricter enforcement and supervision and include both incentives for saving energy and punitive measures for wasteful usage, the NDRC said, without giving details.

It will typically target the construction sector, which now accounts for one-third of all energy use in China. — Xinhua

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