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How should China prioritize the deregulation of electricity prices in the context of carbon pricing? A computable general equilibrium analysis

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  • Zhang, Kun
  • Yao, Yun-Fei
  • Liang, Qiao-Mei
  • Saren, Gaowa

Abstract

China formally launched a national carbon trading market in the power sector in 2017. However, electricity prices in China are still subject to government regulation, which reduces the cost-effectiveness of the carbon pricing policy. This study uses a computable general equilibrium model to explore how China's electricity prices can be deregulated in two stages in the context of implementing carbon pricing in the electricity sector. The results show that under different government policy objectives, the choice of electricity price deregulation is different. If the government intends to significantly reduce marginal abatement costs and promote carbon emission reductions, the electricity price deregulation of non-key electricity consumption sectors should be prioritized in the first stage and that of the national protected sectors in the second stage. Conversely, if the government intends to reduce GDP losses, households' disposable income, and welfare losses effectively, the liberalization of the electricity prices of key electricity consumption sectors should be prioritized in the first stage and that of the household sector in the second stage. Taking 50% of the reduction targets in the electricity sector as an example, if the key electricity consumption sectors and households are prioritized, GDP losses are reduced by 3.6% and 13%, respectively. The results of this study provide new information for China to implement electricity market reform in the context of carbon pricing.

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  • Zhang, Kun & Yao, Yun-Fei & Liang, Qiao-Mei & Saren, Gaowa, 2021. "How should China prioritize the deregulation of electricity prices in the context of carbon pricing? A computable general equilibrium analysis," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:eneeco:v:96:y:2021:i:c:s014098832100092x
    DOI: 10.1016/j.eneco.2021.105187
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    2. Li, Zhimin & Pan, Yanchun & Yang, Wen & Ma, Jianhua & Zhou, Ming, 2021. "Effects of government subsidies on green technology investment and green marketing coordination of supply chain under the cap-and-trade mechanism," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
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    5. Ding, Bingqing & Makowski, Marek & Nahorski, Zbigniew & Ren, Hongtao & Ma, Tieju, 2022. "Optimizing the technology pathway of China's liquid fuel production considering uncertain oil prices: A robust programming model," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    6. Liu, Donghua & Ren, Shenggang & Li, Wenming, 2022. "SO2 emissions trading and firm exports in China," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Carbon pricing; Electricity pricing reform; Price deregulation; Abatement cost;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • O13 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development - - - Agriculture; Natural Resources; Environment; Other Primary Products
    • O44 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Growth and Aggregate Productivity - - - Environment and Growth
    • Q43 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Energy and the Macroeconomy
    • Q56 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Environment and Development; Environment and Trade; Sustainability; Environmental Accounts and Accounting; Environmental Equity; Population Growth
    • C68 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Mathematical Methods; Programming Models; Mathematical and Simulation Modeling - - - Computable General Equilibrium Models

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