价格监管、政府逐利和天然气体制改革——来自福建省的案例剖析

Price Supervision, Governmental Profitseeking and Natural Gas System Reform-Analysis on a Case in Fujian Province

价格是市场机制的核心,也是天然气体制改革能否稳妥推进的关键。目前,天然气终端放开价格竞争是否具备条件存在异议,案例中缺乏具体的佐证。福建省是一个几乎封闭的天然气市场,单一气源、一张省级管网、终端市场由管道燃气经营商把控,发展阶段与其他省份不同,对其价格形成和改革的分析具有标本意义。梳理了福建省大规模利用天然气以来的价格机制,利用新制度经济学和新政治经济学相关理论分析认为:成本差异大、行政门槛高和市场渠道单一制约了天然气终端市场的有效竞争,福建省目前不具备价格放开的市场条件;政府对于天然气的监管立场并非中立,具有价格歧视和斟酌调整的倾向;天然气表现出过渡性特征,这与官员的短期任职和考核晋升机制有关。因此,要放开终端价格管制,需要解除政策性负担,根据物品本质属性分类管理,增加气源并完善天然气基础实施。

Price is the core of market mechanism as well as a crucial factor for the implementation of natural gas system reform.At present, it is highly disputed that whether the natural gas terminals have the conditions for open price competition and there are no theories or practical evidences proving the feasibility of open price competition. As Fujian Province is a nearly closed natural gas market, it has single gas source and a provincial level pipeline network,its terminal market is controlled by a pipeline gas operator and its development is at a different stage from other provinces, analysis on its natural gas price formation and reform is of symbolic significance. After studying the price mechanism since the large-scale utilization of natural gas of Fujian Province and conducting analysis with relevant theories such as new institutional economics and new political economics, it is thought that the large cost variance, high administrative threshold and single market channel restrict the effective competition of natural gas terminal market and Fujian Province does not have the market conditions for open price competition, the government does not play a neutral role in the supervision of natural gas price but tends to have price discrimination and deliberate adjustment, and the natural gas price has some transitional features as it may be related to the short-term employment and appraisal and promotion mechanism of officials. Therefore, to release the regulation and control on terminal price, the policy burdens should be released, classified management should be carried out according to the essential properties of objects, gas sources should be increased and natural gas infrastructure should be improved.