电力直接交易背景下《民法典》供用电合同制度新解

A New Interpretation of the Contract System for Electricity Supply in Chinese Civil Code under the Background of Electricity Direct Trading

与传统供电模式有别,电力直接交易模式下售电主体与配电主体分离,电网企业只是配电主体,不再参与电力买卖。《民法典》仍沿用供电人的称谓,在售电主体与配电主体分离时,供电人对应于配电主体。在传统的供电模式下,供用电合同本质上为特殊的买卖,但在参与电力直接交易的用户向不拥有配电网运营权的发电企业或售电公司购电的情形,完整的电力买卖被拆分成售电和配电两个环节,供用电合同调整配电关系,体现出服务合同的属性。无论表现为买卖还是服务,供用电合同均系继续性合同。供电人有强制缔约义务,在供电人无正当理由拒绝订约时,用电人有权要求供电人作出订约的意思表示并要求给付本身。当用电人逾期支付电费和违约金且经催告在合理期限内仍不支付时,供电人在履行通知义务后可中止供电,中止供电并非解除合同,而是同时履行抗辩权的行使。

Different from the traditional electricity supply mode,electricity sellers and electricity distribution subjects have become separated in the electricity direct trading mode.Grid enterprises are only the electricity distribution subjects and no longer participate in the sales.The Civil Code still uses the legal expressions of electricity suppliers which corresponds to the electricity distribution subjects in the case that electricity sellers and electricity distribution subjects are separated.In the traditional electricity supply mode,the electricity supply contract is essentially a special sale contract,but when electricity customers participating in the electricity direct trading purchase electricity from a electricity generation company or an electricity seller which does not have the right to operate the distribution network,the complete electricity transaction is split into two steps,electricity sales and electricity distribution,and the electricity supply contract regulates the electricity distribution relationship to reflect the nature of the service contract.Regardless of whether it is represented as a sale or a service,the electricity supply contract is a continuing contract.The electricity supplier has a duty to contract.When the electricity supplier refuses to contract without a justified reason,the electricity customer has the right to request the electricity supplier to express its intention to contract and demand performance.Where the electricity customer delays in paying the electricity fees and liquidated damages and fails to pay within a reasonable time after receiving demand for payment,the electricity supplier may suspend the electricity supply after fulfilling the notification obligation.The suspension of the electricity supply is not to terminate the contract,but to exercise the plea of unperformed contract.