China to increase subsidy for high-efficiency motors

The Chinese government decided to inject more subsidies to the high-efficiency electric motor industry in a bid to popularize the device throughout the country, Shanghai Securities News reported Monday.

According to a plan by the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) released March 19, the new subsidy will vary from 26 to 100 yuan ($3.9-$15.2) per kilowatt, depending on the type of the motors.

The subsidy volume for high-voltage high-efficiency motors surged 117 percent compared to the previous plan, according to the report.

The country plans to install 31.77 million kW of high-efficiency electric motors this year, which accounts for about 30 percent of the electronic motors' annual installation. The report said about 50 enterprises, including the Xiangtan Electric Manufacturing Co Ltd, the Nanyang Explosion Protection Group Co Ltd and the subsidiaries owned by Wolong Holding Group, will be major producers to fulfill the plan.

The MOF and the NDRC also pledged to enhance China's energy-consumption evaluation system. Along with the high-efficiency motors, those in charge of the new projects will be asked to install energy-efficient equipment, the newspaper reported.

Data showed that the country's capacity of electronic motors is about 700 million kW. However, the high-efficiency motors take less than 3 percent.