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Interactions Between market reform and a carbon price in China’s power sector

Author

Listed:
  • Fei Teng

    (Institute of Energy, Environment and Economy, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China)

  • Frank Jotzo
  • Xin Wang

Abstract

The electricity sector accounts for a large share of China’s carbon dioxide emissions and of the economy-wide abatement potential. China’s planned national emissions trading scheme would include electricity generation, as nearly all emissions trading schemes do. The critical difference is that in most existing carbon pricing systems the power sector operates with competitive markets and cost-based pricing, while the Chinese power industry still uses a highly regulated dispatch and pricing system. Together these limitations mean that the effect of a carbon price on China is limited in terms of the impact on operational decisions for existing power stations and in terms of the effects on investment decisions. We explore the channels of interaction between electricity market reform and carbon pricing in China, and provide quantitative estimates of the effects and interactions on electricity sector emissions. A probabilistic discrete choice model is used to simulate the behavior of investors in the power sector. The analysis indicates that market reform can help reduce emissions intensity, but to meet China’s 2030 targets for non-fossil fuel generation a low to moderate carbon price is also necessary; conversely, a carbon price will only be effective with market reform that provides flexibility in dispatch. Using our simplified quantitative analysis, the carbon price required for the same share of non-fossil fuel generation would be about twice as high without market reform. Combining market reform and a carbon price could achieve significant rates of decarbonization and is likely to be the most effective and most feasibly policy package to cut emissions from China’s power sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Fei Teng & Frank Jotzo & Xin Wang, 2017. "Interactions Between market reform and a carbon price in China’s power sector," CCEP Working Papers 1707, Centre for Climate & Energy Policy, Crawford School of Public Policy, The Australian National University.
  • Handle: RePEc:een:ccepwp:1707
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    Cited by:

    1. Meng, Ming & Pang, Tingting & Li, Xinxin & Niu, Yi, 2024. "Production decision analysis of China's fossil fuel power enterprises in dual market conditions," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 292(C).
    2. Lawrence H. Goulder & Xianling Long & Jieyi Lu & Richard D. Morgenstern, 2019. "China's Unconventional Nationwide CO₂ Emissions Trading System: The Wide-Ranging Impacts of an Implicit Output Subsidy," NBER Working Papers 26537, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    3. Ju, Yiyi & Fujikawa, Kiyoshi, 2019. "Modeling the cost transmission mechanism of the emission trading scheme in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 236(C), pages 172-182.
    4. Goulder, Lawrence H. & Long, Xianling & Lu, Jieyi & Morgenstern, Richard D., 2022. "China's unconventional nationwide CO2 emissions trading system: Cost-effectiveness and distributional impacts," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    5. Jia, Zhijie & Lin, Boqiang & Wen, Shiyan, 2022. "Electricity market Reform: The perspective of price regulation and carbon neutrality," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 328(C).
    6. Timilsina, Govinda R. & Pang, Jun & Yang, Xi, 2021. "Macroeconomic impacts of power sector reforms in China," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 157(C).
    7. Bell, William Paul & Zheng, Xuemei, 2018. "Inclusive growth and climate change adaptation and mitigation in Australia and China : Removing barriers to solving wicked problems," MPRA Paper 84509, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Yu, Zhongjue & Geng, Yong & Calzadilla, Alvaro & Bleischwitz, Raimund, 2022. "China's unconventional carbon emissions trading market: The impact of a rate-based cap in the power generation sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 255(C).
    9. Springer, Cecilia & Evans, Sam & Lin, Jiang & Roland-Holst, David, 2019. "Low carbon growth in China: The role of emissions trading in a transitioning economy," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 235(C), pages 1118-1125.
    10. Roman Mendelevitch, 2018. "Testing supply-side climate policies for the global steam coal market—can they curb coal consumption?," Climatic Change, Springer, vol. 150(1), pages 57-72, September.
    11. Cao, Jing & Ho, Mun S. & Ma, Rong & Zhang, Yu, 2024. "Transition from plan to market: Imperfect regulations in the electricity sector of China," Journal of Comparative Economics, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 509-533.
    12. 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).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    China; emissions trading; energy sector reform; policy interaction;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q48 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Energy - - - Government Policy
    • Q52 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Environmental Economics - - - Pollution Control Adoption and Costs; Distributional Effects; Employment Effects

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