China will toughen punishments for regions that fail to meet targets aimed at controlling energy use, the state planning agency said in new policy guidelines published on Thursday. China has been cracking down on high-energy consuming projects after 20 of its 30 provinces and regions failed to meet energy consumption targets in the first half of the year. read more The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said it would hold local officials accountable for limiting absolute energy use and for meeting targets to cut energy intensity – or the amount of energy used per unit of GDP. The NDRC also said China would improve its mechanisms […]