Civil electricity prices have gone up again?

Recently, relevant news shows that: civil electricity prices will be raised "The relevant state departments have been determined to be in civilian areas, the implementation of the ladder price and ladder gas price reform." November 19, the National Development and Reform Commission related sources. This means that residents’ ladder prices will be put into practice soon after they are solicited for one year.

In October 2010, the National Development and Reform Commission announced the "Ladder Electricity Price Reform Plan (Draft for Soliciting Opinions)", which provided two options for dividing the power grade. After each month exceeding the basic electricity consumption, the price per kilowatt-hour was not less than 0.20 yuan. . However, under the pressure of inflation, the residents' ladder price plan has been shelved.

In May of this year, the National Development and Reform Commission raised the on-grid electricity price of coal-fired power plants in 15 provinces (cities) such as Shanxi Province. The sales price has been adjusted accordingly, but the price of electricity for residents has not yet been adjusted. At present, under the background of declining inflationary pressures, the overall price adjustment plan has once again been put on the agenda.

Urban and rural residents' electricity consumption accounts for about 10% of the total electricity consumption in the society. In 2009 and 2010, they accounted for 12.5% ​​and 12.2%, respectively. Although the total demand is limited, it is closely related to people's livelihood.

The CEPD electric power industry commented that “the ladder price belongs to the planned economy ticket management model, the intention is to “rob the poor” and the high-energy consumers pay high fees, but it is not appropriate to adjust the domestic power structure and ease the power peaks and valleys. Poor contradictions."

CAI Guoxiong, deputy chief engineer of the Chinese Academy of Electric Power, proposed that “the ladder electricity price should be used in combination with the time-of-use price. It is not appropriate to promote the energy-saving form alone. It is not actually energy-efficient, nor can it make full use of the ladder price of new energy.”

“Employing ladder prices can lead ordinary people to reduce their overall electricity consumption and save energy. But it is not conducive to adjusting the peak-to-valley difference, and it is not conducive to guiding residents to consider the characteristics of new energy sources such as wind power and rationally use energy,” said Cai Guoxiong.

Time-of-use pricing is a method of setting different rates for different periods of the day. That is, high electricity prices are applied at peak hours and low electricity prices are used at low electricity prices.

Cai Guoxiong said: "Ladder prices can be combined with time-of-use prices." For example, nighttime electricity is not calculated in the base price of ladder prices; on the basis of ladder prices, nighttime electricity prices are lowered, while peak electricity prices are increased; at ladder prices Based on the seasonal price factor.

At present, Jiangsu Province has started piloting rural residents' time-of-use price. Pilots will gradually install time-division electricity meters. Pilots can enjoy preferential electricity prices during the low-night hours, and the spread is about 0.20 yuan/kWh.

Electricity prices rose or not rise? For the National Development and Reform Commission, pricing power is becoming a double-edged sword. Because it is difficult to reflect the market laws and damage the market, the other side has also become a hot potato in the hands of the National Development and Reform Commission.

In the past few years, the power companies have never stopped calling for price increases, and the market continues to raise the news that the government will raise the price of electricity. The news of the increase in electricity prices is not groundless. On October 20, the spokesperson of the State Electricity Regulatory Commission stated publicly that it is necessary to increase the on-grid price of coal-fired power plants in a timely manner, reduce the losses of power plants, and increase the enthusiasm for power generation. The price of thermal coal remains high, and mainland power companies are facing the most severe operational pressure since 2008. Since the end of August, the electric power shortage in the southwest region has become the focus of attention in the market. The power gap in the entire network of the China Southern Power Grid reached 15%, and the gap between the two provinces in Guangxi and Guizhou was more than 20%. The main reason for this round of power shortage came down to the shortage of hydropower and coal prices. Under such circumstances, the market is expected to have a fairly strong adjustment to electricity prices.

Since the second half of this year, power companies have frequently submitted letters to the National Development and Reform Commission, requesting that the price of electricity be raised to alleviate the huge loss of thermal power. However, the current economic situation in China has caused the NDRC’s attitude to fluctuate, and there are internal differences on whether to increase the price of electricity, leading to delays in the price adjustment plan. It is difficult to determine later. Some of the NDRC's views that the increase in electricity prices will help ease power losses and power shortages, but another part of the view is that the current economic situation is not appropriate to increase the price of electricity, electricity companies should be encouraged to improve their profitability.

And just as the National Development and Reform Commission worried that the price of electricity will raise the price of coal, the new coal price negotiations have already begun to warm up, and the coal that has been suppressed for a year has begun to brewing and then adjust the contract price of coal.

For the country's large-scale loss of thermal power and the continuous spread of electricity, the Electricity Regulatory Commission and the China Electric Power Association believe that only increase the on-grid price of thermal power plants in order to ease the thermal power losses and power shortages. However, the price adjustment power pricing right in the hands of the National Development and Reform Commission, still need the National Development and Reform Commission introduced the price increase plan and approved by the State Council to be formally implemented.

According to the relevant person in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission, power companies have frequently submitted letters to the National Development and Reform Commission, requesting that the price of electricity be raised to alleviate the huge loss of thermal power. However, the current economic situation in China has caused the NDRC’s attitude to fluctuate, and there are internal differences on whether to increase the power price, leading to price adjustments. The plan was difficult to determine.

Relevant personage analysis: The more feasible countermeasure is to increase the on-grid tariff in the short-term and reform the power system in the long-term. In the fourth quarter of this year, it may raise the on-grid tariff again, maintain the sales price unchanged, and use the profits of the power grid to rescue the company. The advantage of this operation is that under the premise of solving the problem, the impact is small.