Coal-fired electricity and coal-fired joint venture experts in thermal power companies have to consider carefully

Introduction: Coal-fired power plants in Shanxi Province suffered huge losses, and 13 power plants called for the opening of green corridors to directly connect with coal companies. The voice of the economy focuses on: Can the green channel and coal-electricity connection allow power companies to get out of the predicament? Coal and electricity joint ventures, is it right? To solve the "coal waste, electricity shortage"?

Shanxi is a coal province with an annual output of over 800 million tons. However, according to media reports, this coal province is the worst-earning province for power generation companies in the country, and the south-central region of Shanxi is a “hit area”, where 13 power plants have accumulated losses of 14.1 billion yuan, and the average debt ratio is 111%, which is insolvent. The number of companies reached 10. With the advent of winter, coal production in various regions has dropped and coal prices have risen. If the losses continue to deteriorate, the units that account for 37% of the installed capacity in Shanxi Province are at risk of a total shutdown. Therefore, 13 power plants in south-central Shanxi submitted the “Emergency Request for Protecting Electric Heating and Peaking Winter Requests for Help” to the Shanxi Electric Power Industry Association after the first joint request for assistance on August 20, calling for reduction of electricity. Coal intermediate costs, improve procurement efficiency.

It has been revealed that in Shanxi, power companies other than the five major power generation groups cannot directly sign contracts with coal companies. For example, after the 13 home appliance enterprises and coal companies talk about a good price, Shanxi Coal Transportation Group Co., Ltd. must collect the price difference. They hope to establish a green channel and directly connect the coal companies.

Shanxi is known as the “coal capital” for reforms. It is a big coal province, and thermal power plants built there should have been easier than ever. However, these thermal power companies have actually incurred huge losses and even faced total downtime. Lin Boqiang, director of the Energy Economics Research Center at Xiamen University, special commentator on the economy, thinks this is due to two reasons.

Lin Boqiang: On the one hand, because he is very close to coal, his on-grid electricity price is relatively low. If the on-grid electricity price is relatively low, and if the coal price rises, he cannot adjust. It is very difficult to imagine how he had passed this day. why? Because coal mines cannot sell coal to him cheaper. On the other hand, the local coal-fired power plants outside the five major power generation groups, which previously relied on small and medium-sized coal mines, basically disappeared after the integration of small and medium-sized coal mines, which means that coal that was relatively cheap before may also be missing.

The power companies outside the Shanxi Five Power Group cannot directly sign contracts with coal companies, so after the coal companies and coal companies of the 13 power plants talked about the prices, it was up to Shanxi Coal Transportation Group Co., Ltd. to handle the difference. . Why is such a mechanism formed? Lin Boqiang believes that it was originally considered from the perspective of buying and selling coal. This is basically a government action, not a market action.

Lin Boqiang: If the power company cannot sign a contract directly with the coal companies, he must add a part of the price, so this is basically a distortion imposed on the government administration. Of course there are some management benefits, but he has increased the cost after all. Therefore, I think that such an request for power companies should be reasonable, and the government should consider this.

The requirements of power companies are reasonable, but is it easy to realize such aspiration? Lin Boqiang does not think it is easy, but reform is necessary.

Lin Boqiang: Because the original distribution rights of the coal transportation company had been adopted, the government was considered at the beginning, not to say that it was done without consideration. Of course, the current situation may be somewhat different from the situation at the time of designing. Is it necessary to consider reforms again? I think it should be necessary.

Integration of coal and electricity needs careful consideration. Power companies outside Shanxi's five major power generation groups cannot sign contracts directly with coal companies. This means that other power plants require green channel treatment. In fact, the five major power generation groups have already enjoyed it. However, there have been reports previously that the five major power generation groups are now experiencing serious losses. Lin Boqiang believes that even if the green channel required by other power plants is established, the loss will still exist, but it is only a matter of magnitude.

Lin Boqiang: Although you are very tight from the coal, the transportation cost is relatively low, but your on-grid electricity price is relatively low, and the coal price does not rise. You are also losing money. The green channel is really set up for you. You may not be able to turn a deficit and fail to do it. Can only say to ease your current problems, including coal supply problems, not necessarily downtime, there is coal, but your losses should still be there. The five major power generation losses should cause you to lose money, but only the magnitude of the loss.

With regard to the current coal-electricity contradiction, there are views that under the circumstances of the market price of coal, even if the price of electricity is raised, the power companies cannot change this difficult situation. Therefore, it is suggested that the coal-electricity joint venture can take the road to coal and Power plants are merged into one company. Lin Boqiang said that this method was effective in the past, but it is currently problematic.

Lin Boqiang: If you rely on the market to do coal and electricity joint ventures, this is a very slow process. One family negotiates two dockings to negotiate and bargain. This is basically a relatively long process and cannot solve the current problems. This is the first. . Secondly, at present, China's coal and electricity integration strategy is basically responding to rising electricity costs. The difference is that we have a deeper market planning electricity contradiction. If the government's purpose is to be able to not need to mention the electricity price, it can be digested through integration. The impact of rising coal prices guarantees the supply of electricity. If coal prices continue to rise, then the power plant may sell coal instead of using it to generate electricity. If the government cannot determine that the power plant cannot sell its own coal, then the power plant will sell coal instead of generating electricity. Therefore, encouraging integration to solve this kind of power generation does not make money, and the original intention of protecting power supply under the scenario of selling coal and earning money will be challenged.

Market-oriented integration of coal and electricity should be understandable, but if the government regards coal-electricity integration as a policy approach to evade power reforms, so as to maintain the enthusiasm of the power plant if the price adjustment is not in place, it will give coal-fired power The transformation is very distorted. If administrative measures are used to promote coal-electricity integration, a distortion will be added to the distortion. The short-term benefits are good, but in the long-term it is certainly a loss. Short-term benefits cannot compensate long-term losses. To sum up, first of all, far water cannot save near fire; second, it is distorted. Therefore, it must be carefully considered.

Lin Boqiang believes that the solution to the near-fire rescue is basically to raise the price of electricity and to suppress the price of coal. It is necessary to protect supply, mention the price of electricity, press down the price of the media, and then prepare for coal-fired linkage. It is the only way.