Thermal power companies still suffer huge losses, "planning electricity" is hard to love "market coal"

Thermal power emergency! The China Electric Power Enterprise Association issued the “Analysis and Forecast Report of the National Electricity Supply and Demand and Economic Operation Situation” on Friday, stating that in the first half of the year, the power businesses of Huaneng, Datang, Huadian, Guodian, and China Power Investment had a total loss of 66%. 500 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 50. 900 million yuan, of which thermal power production companies have lost 153 yuan. 800 million yuan, a year-on-year loss of 9.52 billion yuan.

Although the on-grid tariffs in some provinces rose slightly in April, they have not yet reversed the plight of power companies. The coal and electricity linkage appeal has been for many years but it has been difficult to implement. How should plan electricity interact with market coal? The day before, the industry called for the long-term benchmark price of photovoltaic power generation on the Internet, and finally landed in a paper notice from the National Development and Reform Commission. What changes will the electric power industry face?

The increase in coal prices far exceeded the electricity price. According to the “Analysis and Forecast Report of the National Electricity Supply and Demand and Economic Operation Situation (2011 H1)” published on July 29 by the China Radio Union, it is proposed that the national electricity supply and demand situation in 2011 will be tighter than the late 11th Five-Year Plan period. The shortage of power supply and demand in some regions will be wider than that of the previous year, and the gap will be expanded. According to the analysis and forecast report of China's electricity supply and demand and economic operation released by the China Electricity Council, the national total electricity consumption in the first half of the year is 2. 2515 trillion kwh, an increase of 12.2% year-on-year.

“In the second half of the year, domestic electricity demand will continue to grow at a relatively fast pace. The overall electricity supply and demand situation in the country will be tight and some regions will continue to be tight.” According to related people in the CEC, most of the country's electricity supply gaps will total about 30 million kilowatts.

On the one hand, the power gap still exists, and on the other hand, domestic thermal power companies still suffer huge losses. The crux of the problem lies in the industry's call for years of "market coal" and "planned electricity" linkage problem.

The "Report" pointed out that due to the apparent increase in coal prices in the market, the loss situation of domestic thermal power companies continued. Since 2003, China's coal prices have continued to rise, with a cumulative increase of more than 200%, while sales of electricity prices have risen less than 40%.

How to solve the huge power shortage? On August 1st, photovoltaic power generation, which had just been identified for on-grid tariffs, did not help. In response, Hu Zhaoxian, chief economist of the National Electric Power Economic Research Center, told Southern Reporter: “It will take time to resolve the power gap through photovoltaic new energy. At present, it cannot be solved, and its power supply is less than 0.1%.”

Experts have called for electricity marketization. There are claims that timely and reasonable coal-fired linkage has become the key to solving the contradiction between coal and electricity. Therefore, the "Report" suggests that the coal-electricity linkage mechanism should be implemented and improved in a timely manner to adjust the price of electricity in a timely manner so as to ensure that the coal price and electricity price are linked together.

Han Xiaoping, vice president of China Energy Network, told Southern reporter: “Coal and coal linkage failed to be implemented, mainly because of the stagnation of the entire market reform, the power reform should be market-oriented, and only the price of the power grid should be adjusted. The price increase is only the cart before the horse.”

But is coal-fired electricity linkage really effective? Coal-fired linkage policy began at the end of 2004. After 2006, the coal-electricity linkage mechanism was shelved indefinitely after two rounds of trials. The current policy has four measures: strong pressure on the on-grid tariff is not allowed to move; on-grid tariffs are occasionally loose; policy-based subsidies are provided for thermal power companies; coal-fired electricity linkage mechanisms. After the market price of thermal coal, its price has been rising, and the price of electricity has reached a point where it cannot be adjusted. Coal-fired linkage can solve the problem? The actual situation should not be as optimistic as this.

Hu Zhaoxian, chief economist of the National Electric Power Economic Research Center, told Southern Reporter that the continued losses of thermal power companies are mainly due to the release of energy prices, but the grid electricity price is also controlled by the state. The price of the grid is now raised, and the terminal price has not changed. After the price of oil and coal rises, secondary energy should rise in conjunction. However, there is a problem with the current price. Many government regulations lack market regulation and cannot form a market mechanism.

Hu Zhaoxian said: "Let's open up the power regulation, just like the original opening of the food, use the market to adjust, there are rises and falls. Fear of affecting the CPI rise, causing inflation is an excuse to stop."