中国电价改革何去何从

China's Power Price Reform Stagnates

电价问题向来是中国敏感的经济问题。虽然早在2000年中国就已明确了电力工业市场化改革的方向,但仅仅在迈出了"厂网分开"第一步后、刚刚触及电价问题之时就裹足不前,陷入停滞。这一停就是八年。八年中,英、澳、美、欧盟等早已建立了发达的电力市场,有些已完全把电力变成了一种高度市场化的普通商品,可以由消费者向发电方直接购电,根据时段需要不同自行商议电价。而中国却仍将电力作为一项特殊的垄断商品,由政府根据发电成本定价,由此不得不受制于各种既得利益集团,陷入"成本越高电价越高"、电价"只涨不跌"的怪圈。国家能源局新能源与可再生能源司司长王骏根据多年观察和研究,并对比国外先进经验,从"什么是水火同价"入手对中国电价问题的症结和出路进行了深入思考,文章发人深省。中国能源网首席信息官韩晓平亦就此作了点评,在此与读者共享。电价改革涉及千家万户、各行各业,亦深入经济政策和理论的前沿,继续推进需要极大的决心和勇气,但正如两位作者所指出的,无论是从解决电力工业积年深疴还是从发展新能源、实现未来节能减排目标的大局考虑,中国的电价改革已到了必须改革、不改革就没有出路的时候。

It's been eight years since China launched a power industry reform project by separating electricity generation and distribution. But now,the process is stuck.Follow-up reform steps haven't been taken;a proposed reshuffling of the electricity pricing mechanism has stagnated.Power prices in China,which are stricdy controlled by the government,are set by administration measures based on government evaluations of generating costs. China's power prices have been rising for years but still fail to reflect market conditions,supply and demand.Power pricing also offers a wide field for profit among various special interest groups.As China faces public discontent and pressure to reduce power consumption as well as pollution, many say the country's urgently needs to deepen market-oriented reform of its power industry.And reforming electricity pricing is at the top of the agenda.