我国天然气出厂气价结构改革势在必行

Necessity for Reform of Ex-plant Natural Gas Price Structure in China

我国现行的按用途分类的出厂气价结构,对推动我国天然气利用发挥了巨大的作用,但同时也导致消费结构不合理、天然气难以向高附加值行业流动,从而难以实现资源优化配置。我国在一些高耗气行业目前仍实行与配额供应相配套的低价倾斜政策,而这些行业大都经受住了“入世”的考验,经济承受力和竞争力已大大提高。及时调整气价结构,对适应“入世”和市场环境的变化,促进天然气发展,改善我国能源结构具有重要意义。为此,建议我国的气价改革分三步走,逐步由政府统一定价过渡到由市场定价:(1)在2006以前实行“成本导向,政府定价,严格监管“的价格管理模式;(2)在2006年以后,实行“放松管制,气油挂钩,中准价格,上下浮动”的政府指导价格管理模式;(3)2015 年后放开天然气价格,由政府调控转为市场定价。

T he current applicable ex-plant gas price structure in China, which is based on classification of uses, has played a significant role in the promotion of natural gas utilization in the country. However, this gas price structure has also led to the creation of an unreasonable consumption structure and hindered the natural gas industry from developing towards becoming a high value-added industry, with the result that optimal allocation of resources has been difficult. In some high gas consumption industries, preferential low-price gas supply policies with gas quotas are still implemented in China at the present time. Most of those industries have stood the test of WTO membership with their economic capability and competitiveness having been substantially increased. The timely adjustment of the gas price structure is of vital importance to the promotion of natural gas development and improvement of China's energy structure to meet the changes that have come with the nation's WTO membership and the market environment. Therefore, it is proposed that China's reform of gas prices be divided into three stages to gradually bring about the transition from unified pricing by the government to market pricing. (1) A price management pattern based on 'cost guidance, governmental pricing and strict monitoring' should be established before 2006. (2) A government-guided price management pattern based on 'relaxing controls, linking gas prices to oil prices, and putting median prices with fluctuations into practice' should be established after 2006. (3) The natural gas price should be deregulated after 2015 with the price set according to the market instead of by governmental adjustment.