The recent blackout in Europe was a surprise to many people. It was seen as a signal of electricity shortage and weak power grid in Europe and America. In Europe and the United States of electricity reform across the western use of government intervention for nearly a hundred years of market failure mode model reform Chinese power mode, and selected the popular mode of market competition, the market mechanism is not around the past one, how to make the market allocation of resources will become the main focus of the reform, is an increasingly clear the.

European and American electric power reform once known as the Chinese power reform "textbook", now, this textbook has upgraded version of American Cambridge Energy Consulting Research Association (CERA) at the end of October 2006 to complete the "Enlightenment" of foreign electric power reform Chinese research report. The day before the interview hosted by CERA "senior researcher of foreign electric power reform enlightenment" on China research project Dr. Zhang chi.

From mining efficiency to attracting investment

Zhang Chi believes that the reform of electric power Chinese started in four years, as the world's electric power reform process reference is much slower than expected, is still not a country in accordance with the "roadmap" textbook ", complete transmission, completely split the distribution and sale of four links, and set up mature market basis" the mining efficiency squeeze extra extrusion efficiency (mining efficiency) design is subjected to the power shortage and limitation of environmental protection problems. Attracting investment in electricity has become a more and more serious problem.

The electric power system in the United States is in the "hybrid mode" with half regulation and half freedom. The new energy law promulgated in 2005 is regarded as the "institutional improvement of the recognition of the current situation". In order to encourage enterprises to investment in power grid, the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission announced on the grid or deferred income tax return of investors, and improve the reasonable profit rate. After the surge of natural gas prices, new power producers chose coal to generate electricity, and more and more nuclear power projects were discussed. "The difficulty of renewal of old nuclear power plants has been reduced".

"The federal government's recent policies to encourage power grids and clean energy need to bear enormous environmental pressure, fully explaining the importance of the us to power investment." Zhang Chi said, "there are two misunderstandings in the early days of China's electric power reform. One is that the developed countries do not need to invest in electricity. Such developing countries like China need only. But it seems to be a common challenge to attract investment. Another misunderstanding is that we should focus on the competition of power generation, but in recent years, more and more countries have found that if the grid lacks investment, the foundation of the electricity market is hard to guarantee.