Concrete efforts should be made to ensure a safe and stable energy supply for the Olympics, Chinese Vice Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday while inspecting Games' venues in the host city.
With the current summer energy consumption peak, measures should be taken to raise coal and electricity output, scientifically arrange power distribution and ensure gas supply, said Li, also a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee.
He highly praised the clean energy technologies being applied in Olympic venues, such as waste water and rainfall recycling, terrestrial heat and solar energy utilization, and electricity-powered buses running across the Olympic core area.
Stressing the initiatives were a significant characteristic of the Beijing Olympics, Li called for further promotion of energy-savings and environment-friendly products and technologies.
He also expressed satisfaction with air quality monitoring and car emission examination measures at the National Aquatics Center, or "Water Cube".
Beijing's air quality control measures have shown some effects, Li said, adding a sound ecological system was a premise for a successful Olympics.
Accompanied by officials and members of the city's Olympic organizing committee, Li visited the National Stadium, the Water Cube and environment maintenance and medical service facilities for the Games.
He encouraged medical staff at the Olympic Village clinic to pay extreme attention to every detail of the sanitary service and strictly implement food safety checks to ensure athletes' health.
(Xinhua News Agency August 2, 2008)