To speed up the development of China's electrical power in industry, more foreign capital and technologies are to be introduced into the sector, the reporter learnt recently from China Power Enterprises'Association. This means bright prospects for the industry's future development.

According to well-informed sources, lack of fund and advanced equipments in the sector has already spurred more and more power enterprises to introduce foreign technology. In addition, foreign capital has already been involved in China's power business. Among the means of cooperation are loans from international financial organizations or foreign governments, export credits, and compensational trade. Since 1993, some foreign investors have directly invested in power plants construction. Meanwhile, some domestic power enterprises have successfully raised capital in international capital market by issuing bonds or stocks. So a multi-channel pattern in utilizing foreign capital in the industry has already emerged. Needless to say, cooperation with international financial groups is also conducive to the introduction of advanced management expertise.

　　Under government permission, the former Ministry of Power Industry has been recast into China National Power Corporation, a corporation solely invested by the government. In the power industry in the years to come efforts will centre on optimizing industrial structure such as on technological renovation or closure of those low-efficiency power plants. According to experts the potentials for development in the industry are great. Since 1996 the once acute shortage of power supply has been significantly eased, but according to experts low demand for electricity is only a temporary phenomenon. As China's economy develops, consumption of electricity will surely increase. It is predicted that by the year 2000 the total installed capacity in the whole country will reach 290 million kilowatts, a significant jump from the 250 million kilowatts in 1997. In 1997 the annual electrical power consumption in China was only 900 kilowatts, or about a third of the world average. What's more about 60 million people in China still have no access to electricity. All these are favourable conditions for further development of the power industry.