Hi Jurek -

I only know a bit about China; no doubt there are many others who could set me straight; I only have sopme opinions based on personal observations.

Hi Jurek -

Regarding the increase in power generation in China, you are right - and don't forget about the 50 nuclear reactors on the way.

Still, I am amazed at the low rate of power consumption in China. The average household I have seen would never dream of having one light on in an unoccupied room, and the purchase of electrical appliances continues apace - from a radio and a few light bulbs, the typical household now has fridge, A/C, TV, DVD, computer, etc.etc.

But this tends to be the situation in cities in the East - Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Tianjin and so forth. Down on the farm, they are only in the initial phase of "electrification". When this pattern repeats in rural China, the same jump in demand can be expected. And remember, the rural population of China is about 750,000,000!

Long story short: I may be right or I may be wrong, but I have a hunch that the new coal and nuclear plants may only temper the overall increase in demand for electricity, and not appreciably reduce the demand for oil fired plants. In any case, the number of cars will certainly increase!