Chen Weidong, chief researcher of CNOOC Energy Economic Research Institute, said that the price increase of natural gas is imperative and needs to be gradually realized through small steps. The key to promoting the adjustment of energy structure is to increase the proportion of natural gas in the energy structure, which requires the joint efforts of "visible hand" and "invisible hand", and ultimately depends on market-oriented means, and the marketization of price system is the basis.
Chen Weidong said that natural gas is not only a necessity for people's life, but also a necessary condition for the change of energy structure in China. However, the domestic natural gas production capacity is insufficient, and the increase in the use ratio mainly depends on imports, and the import price is high. In addition to the state-owned enterprises have to make some sacrifices when balancing the overall profits, generally speaking, the price increase has become an inevitable trend.
Chen Weidong said that at present, the energy structure of 70% coal, 18% oil and 5% natural gas in China is relatively backward, almost staying at the European level half a century ago. The most realistic choice to change the energy structure is to increase the proportion of natural gas in primary energy as soon as possible, otherwise the environmental pollution will further deteriorate.
To increase the proportion of natural gas use, we must first increase consumption and promote price marketization. Chen Weidong said that the pricing mechanism of domestic natural gas is "one price at a time, plus cost", which is still a planned economy. China is already a big country in natural gas production and consumption, and its dependence on foreign countries is close to 30% by 20 12. When importing natural gas from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and other Central Asian countries, the loss of 1 m3 is close to 1 yuan. At present, anti-monopoly calls are endless, but if the price is opaque and investors can't have a clear expectation, it will be difficult to attract investment and increase supply, thus hindering energy diversification.
Regarding the view that domestic natural gas prices are in line with international standards, Chen Weidong said that there is no unified natural gas pricing in the world at present, and there are only a few basic regional prices: the first one is the United States, which was as high as 13 USD /mmbtu (million British thermal units) in 2008, and now it is less than 3 USD, equivalent to 70 cents per cubic meter; Second, Europe, 8-9 dollars /MMBtu, about RMB per cubic meter of 2 yuan; The third is the Asia Pacific region. Japan is the largest importer of natural gas and LNG (liquefied natural gas) in Asia, and the price is also the most expensive, 15- 16 USD /MMBtu, equivalent to RMB per cubic meter of 4 yuan. Comparatively speaking, the advantages of easy storage and transportation of LNG make it easier to follow the market, which may form futures pricing in the global market.