China Energy Use May Slow Further on Government Curbs

China’s energy demand may slow further as the government takes steps to meet conservation targets and to cool the world’s fastest-growing economy.

Energy consumption gains may be curbed in the fourth quarter after easing in July to September, the National Energy Administration said in a statement today. China plans to close 1,539 small, unsafe coal mines this year and has met 88 percent of this target by the end of September, Wang Siqiang, a deputy director at the administration, told reporters in Beijing.