Cctv newsAccording to the website of the National Development and Reform Commission, the National Development and Reform Commission recently issued the Measures for the Management of Natural Gas Pipeline Transportation Price (Trial) and the Measures for the Supervision and Examination of Natural Gas Pipeline Transportation Pricing Cost (Trial) (hereinafter referred to as the two Measures) to reform the natural gas pipeline transportation price mechanism and strengthen price supervision. On issues of social concern, the reporter interviewed the relevant person in charge of the National Development and Reform Commission.
Q: What is the background of the promulgation of the two Measures?
A:Formulating and promulgating the two Measures is an important measure to implement the CPC Central Committee the State Council’s proposal to deepen the price reform and improve the government pricing system, an active exploration to optimize the price supervision mode and promote the functional innovation of price work under the new normal, and an objective need to adapt to the development situation of natural gas pipelines.
The goal of natural gas price reform is to "let go of both ends and control the middle", that is, let go of the gas source and the sales price are formed by the market, and the government only supervises the transmission and distribution price of the network natural monopoly link. "Several Opinions of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council on Promoting the Reform of Price Mechanism" (Zhongfa [2015] No.28) clearly stated that it is necessary to "standardize pricing procedures, strengthen cost supervision and examination, promote cost disclosure, and resolutely manage the narrow tube well." At present, there is no systematic regulation on the price management of natural gas pipeline transportation in China, and the pricing transparency needs to be improved. Moreover, most of the current natural gas pipeline transportation prices are "one line, one price". This pricing method is established under the gas supply mode of "single gas source and single pipeline". With the acceleration of pipeline construction and the improvement of gas supply safety requirements, more and more pipelines are connected into networks, and the current pricing method can no longer meet the needs of the development of the situation. Therefore, on the basis of summarizing the practical experience of natural gas pipeline transportation price management and drawing lessons from the common practices of mature countries with market economy, we reformed the formation mechanism of pipeline transportation price and formed two "Measures".
The promulgation of the two "Measures" takes the lead in realizing the full coverage of price supervision methods and cost supervision and examination methods in important network-based natural monopoly areas, which plays a fundamental role in building a scientific, reasonable and transparent pipeline transportation price supervision system, marks a substantial step towards refinement and institutionalization of domestic natural gas pipeline transportation price supervision, and fully embodies the requirements of "managing the thin tube well and managing it in place" in network-based natural monopoly links.
Q: What are the core changes of the reformed pipeline transportation price mechanism compared with the current mechanism?
A:Compared with the current pipeline transportation price mechanism, the core changes of the reformed pipeline transportation price mechanism are as follows:The first is the change of pricing method.The original pricing method based on the principle of financial evaluation of construction projects is adjusted to the principle of "permitted cost plus reasonable income", that is, on the basis of approved permitted cost, the annual permitted total income is determined by supervising the permitted income of pipeline transportation enterprises, and then the pipeline transportation price is approved.The second is the change of the price supervision object.Instead of taking a single pipeline as the supervision object, each pipeline is priced separately, but taking pipeline transportation enterprises as the supervision object to distinguish the pricing of different enterprises.The third is the change in the way prices are announced.The specific price level announced by the state is changed to the national approved pipeline freight rate (yuan/cubic meter thousand kilometers), and the enterprise calculates and announces the specific price level from the air inlet to the air outlet.
Q: What are the highlights of the two Measures?
A:The formulation of the two Measures adheres to the problem orientation, suits the remedy to the case, pays equal attention to supervision, encouragement and supervision, and builds a long-term mechanism through system construction. There are many highlights:The first is to implement an independent accounting system.The two "Measures" clearly require enterprises engaged in natural gas pipeline transportation business to separate the pipeline transportation business from other businesses in principle. If the business separation cannot be realized temporarily, independent financial accounting of the pipeline transportation business should be realized.The second is to establish a cost constraint mechanism.It is required that the business cost of natural gas pipeline transportation be separately collected, and the specific verification standards for the main indicators that constitute the pricing cost, such as employee salary, management expenses and sales expenses, are clearly defined; Eight cases that cannot be included in the pricing cost are defined.The third is to establish an incentive mechanism.It is stipulated that the pipeline transportation price should be regulated for three years. If the pipeline transportation enterprise improves the pipeline load rate by optimizing operation during the regulatory period, so that the actual load rate is higher than the pricing load rate, or strengthens management and saves costs, so that the actual cost of the enterprise is lower than the pricing cost, it can obtain a return exceeding the permitted rate of return.The fourth is to establish an information disclosure mechanism.The implementation of "double openness" not only requires pipeline enterprises to actively disclose cost information, strengthen social supervision, restrain the investment cost and operation cost of enterprises, avoid investment waste and unreasonable expenditure, but also requires pricing departments to disclose the conclusion of cost supervision and examination, and improve the scientific, normative and transparent price supervision.
Q: The reformed pipeline transportation price mechanism stipulates that the investment rate of return is 8% and the load rate is 75%. How is this considered?
A:The permitted rate of return of natural gas pipeline transportation is defined as 8% of the after-tax total investment rate in the two Measures, which is determined after comprehensive consideration of the development status of natural gas pipelines in China, the needs of future pipeline investment and construction, and the affordability of downstream users. On the one hand, at present, China’s natural gas pipelines are in a stage of rapid development, and the total length of main trunk pipelines is about 60 thousand kilometers (excluding provincial pipelines), which is far from meeting the needs of future development. The allowable rate of return is set at 8%, which is 3-4 percentage points higher than the interest rate of long-term national debt, which is conducive to mobilizing the enthusiasm of all parties to invest in natural gas pipeline construction and promoting the development of natural gas industry. On the other hand, due to the limited affordability of downstream users, the permitted rate of return should not be too high.
It should be noted that the yield of 8% can only be achieved when the pipeline load rate reaches 75%, and if other factors remain unchanged, if the load rate is lower than 75%, the yield will be lower than 8%.
Q: What impact will the promulgation of the two Measures have on the domestic natural gas market?
A:The promulgation of the two "Measures" is a concrete manifestation of implementing the structural reform requirements of the supply side, which is conducive to stimulating market vitality and making up for shortcomings, and will have a far-reaching impact on the construction of the domestic natural gas market and the development of related industries.First, it is conducive to stimulating the enthusiasm of social capital to invest in pipeline construction.The two "Measures" give a clear expectation of return on investment in natural gas pipelines, especially the return on investment that is appropriately higher than that of general industrial industries, which will play a positive role in encouraging social capital to invest in pipeline construction and promoting pipeline development.Second, it is conducive to promoting the opening of pipelines to third parties.The two Measures require enterprises to obtain 8% permitted rate of return, and the corresponding pipeline load rate is 75%, which means that if the actual load rate of pipeline transportation enterprises is lower than 75%, the actual rate of return may not reach 8% or even lower. Only by opening up to third parties and increasing the load rate can we obtain permitted income or even higher income level.Third, it is conducive to promoting the market-oriented reform of natural gas prices.After the implementation of the two Measures, the transportation price from each entrance to the exit of natural gas pipelines is clear, which creates conditions for the pipeline to be opened to third parties, and at the same time, it is conducive to the return of natural gas sources to commodity attributes, promotes gas-gas competition, and further realizes the reform goal of marketization of gas sources and sales prices.
Q: How are the two Measures publicly soliciting opinions from the society?
A:The formulation and promulgation of the two "Measures" have attracted great attention from all sectors of society and condensed the common wisdom of all sectors of society. Since 2015, we have repeatedly solicited opinions from relevant departments, local price authorities, pipeline transportation enterprises, downstream users, and experts and scholars in the industry on the two Measures. From 20 August to 10 September this year, we openly solicited opinions from the society. During the public consultation period, more than 50 opinions were received from all sectors of society through the Internet, fax and telephone. Various parties put forward good opinions and suggestions on pricing methods, relevant parameters and indicators, open access of third parties, price supervision of short-distance pipeline transportation in the province, implementation of "two-part system" pricing and calorific value pricing, and some of them also reflected some problems in the implementation of natural gas price policy.
Regarding the relevant suggestions put forward by all sectors of society, we once again organized forces to study them carefully one by one, fully absorbed reasonable suggestions, and reflected them in the two Measures issued; Some suggestions that do not have the implementation conditions at present, such as "two-part system" pricing and calorific value pricing, will be included in the work plan and research will be carried out; The problems in the implementation of the natural gas price policy have been handed over to the relevant provincial price authorities, requiring relevant localities to seriously study and deal with them.
The smooth promulgation of the two Measures is the result of the joint efforts of all sectors of society. We welcome all sectors of society to continue to put forward valuable opinions on our work.
Q: What is the focus of the next step in the price supervision of natural gas pipeline transportation?
A:Since the beginning of this year, the state has issued a series of policies and measures to strengthen the price supervision of natural gas pipeline network. This time, two Measures were issued. Previously, the Notice on Strengthening the Price Supervision of Local Natural Gas Pipeline Network to Reduce the Gas Cost of Enterprises was issued (Development and Reform Price [2016] No.1859), thus building a whole-process price supervision system of natural gas industry chain from long-distance pipelines to short-distance transportation pipelines in the province, and then to urban gas distribution networks.
In the next step, the state will actively promote the implementation of policies and further improve relevant regulatory policies.One isIn 2017, the supervision and examination of the pricing cost of pipeline transportation enterprises will be fully started, the pricing cost will be reasonably determined, and the natural gas pipeline transportation price will be formulated and adjusted.The second isSupervise and urge local governments to effectively strengthen the supervision of transmission and distribution prices, and rationally formulate and adjust the transmission and distribution prices of local natural gas pipelines.The third isAccording to the operation of the two Measures in practice, we should improve the two Measures in a timely manner, and actively carry out the research work of "two-part system" price and calorific value pricing in combination with the development of domestic natural gas market, and launch it when conditions are ripe, so as to continuously improve the scientific and rational management of natural gas pipeline transportation price.
The implementation of these policies will effectively stimulate the vigor and vitality of the natural gas market and promote the rapid development of the natural gas industry. At the same time, it will also accumulate rich experience for strengthening the price supervision of network-based natural monopoly links and lay a solid foundation for further innovation in price supervision methods.