Relevant responsible comrades of the National Development and Reform Commission answered reporters’ questions on the “Notice on the Tiered Electricity Price Policy for the Electrolytic Aluminum Industry”

A few days ago, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the “Notice on the Step-by-Step Electricity Price Policy for the Electrolytic Aluminum Industry”, deploying a step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry in various regions, promoting the electrolytic aluminum industry to continuously improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emission intensity, and serve the economy and society with a green and low-carbon cycle. develop. Regarding the content of the “Notice,” relevant responsible comrades of the National Development and Reform Commission answered reporters’ questions.

Question: What is the tiered electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry, and why is it necessary to implement this policy?

Answer: Electrolytic aluminum is a high-energy-consuming industry and a key industry for carbon emissions. With the continuous deepening of electricity price reforms, in order to promote energy conservation and emission reduction in the electrolytic aluminum industry, the Commission has gradually established a differentiated electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry. Among them, the “Notice on the Implementation of a Tiered Electricity Price Policy for Electrolytic Aluminum Enterprises” (Fagai Price [2013] No. 2530), issued in 2013, clearly established a stepped electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry, based on the “Energy Consumption of Electrolytic Aluminum Enterprises Unit Product” The energy consumption limit limit value index proposed by “Limit” sets the stepped electricity price in three levels, increases the price for the electricity consumption of electrolytic aluminum enterprises with low energy efficiency, and also collects the stepped electricity price and the electricity fee, the management and use of the electricity fee fund, and standardizes the electrolysis. The power transaction behavior of aluminum enterprises put forward clear requirements.

my country is the world’s largest producer of electrolytic aluminum. At present, the annual electricity consumption of the whole industry exceeds 500 billion kilowatt-hours, accounting for about 6.8% of the total electricity consumption of the whole society, and the electricity consumption is huge. Electricity costs account for more than 40% of the production cost of electrolytic aluminum. The implementation of a step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry is conducive to giving full play to the leverage of electricity prices, and economic means to promote the electrolytic aluminum industry to continuously improve energy efficiency, accelerate transformation and upgrade, and promote the economy Structural adjustment to serve green development.

Question: What is the implementation of the current step-by-step electricity price policy in the electrolytic aluminum industry, what role has it played, and what are the problems?

Answer: Since the implementation of the tiered electricity price policy, it has played an important role in promoting technological progress, transformation and upgrading, and improvement of energy efficiency in the electrolytic aluminum industry. Preliminary statistics show that in 2020, the average comprehensive AC power consumption of my country’s electrolytic aluminum industry is 13,543 kWh per ton, which is about 500 kWh lower than in 2013, and is currently at an international level.

At the same time, with the improvement of the industry development level and changes in the energy saving and emission reduction situation, the current step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry has also encountered some problems that need to be resolved during the implementation. In practice, it is difficult to accurately verify standards. After many years of implementation, the standards are objectively low, which weakens the restraint on energy conservation and emission reduction of enterprises; the stepped electricity price increase method is not reasonable enough, which is not conducive to giving full play to the role of electricity price signal guidance; electricity fee collection and other policies The implementation of safeguard measures is not sound enough, and the system for the management and use of tariff increase funds is insufficient, which weakens the effect of the implementation of the tiered tariff policy.

Question: What are the main contents of this step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry?

Answer: This time, the current step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry has been mainly made from seven aspects:

The first is to adjust the standard power consumption indicators for tiered electricity prices. Overall consideration of the energy consumption and statistical management of electrolytic aluminum enterprises, adjust the originally used aluminum liquid electrolysis AC power consumption index to the aluminum liquid comprehensive AC power consumption index, and further reflect the overall energy efficiency level of the enterprise, and the calculation method is clearer and easier to verify.

The second is to reasonably set the tiered electricity price grading standard. In 2022, the electrolytic aluminum industry’s tiered electricity price classification standard is 13,650 kWh per ton of comprehensive AC power consumption of molten aluminum; from 2023, the classification standard is adjusted to 13,450 kWh per ton (excluding desulfurization power consumption); from 2025 From the beginning, the classification standard was adjusted to 13,300 kilowatt-hours per ton (excluding power consumption for desulfurization).

The third is to adopt a progressive increase method to determine the increase standard. The method of price increase is adjusted from graded price increase to progressive price increase. If the comprehensive AC power consumption of electrolytic aluminum enterprises is not higher than the graded standard, the electricity consumption of molten aluminum production will not be increased; if it is higher than the graded standard, every more than 20 kilowatts At that time, the electricity consumption for the production of molten aluminum is increased by 0.01 yuan per kilowatt-hour, and if it is less than 20 kilowatt-hours, it is calculated as 20 kilowatt-hours.

The fourth is to encourage electrolytic aluminum enterprises to improve the level of clean energy utilization. It is clarified that the non-aqueous renewable energy electricity consumed by electrolytic aluminum enterprises accounts for more than 15% of the total electricity consumption and is not less than the incentive value of the non-hydropower consumption responsibility weight of the province (autonomous region or municipality) in the previous year. An increase of 1 percentage point will result in a corresponding decrease of 1% in the standard for stepped electricity price increases.

Fifth, the working mechanism for approving the tariff increase. The provincial energy conservation authority is required to work with relevant departments to organize energy conservation supervision of electrolytic aluminum enterprises in accordance with local conditions; the provincial development and reform department determines the electrolytic aluminum that needs to be increased based on the results of energy conservation supervision and the completion of non-aqueous renewable energy power consumption. The list of enterprises and the standard for price increase shall be announced to the public; power grid enterprises shall collect the price increase fee according to the list of enterprises and the total price increase fee determined by the provincial development and reform department.

The sixth is to strengthen the responsibility for the collection of tiered tariffs. Emphasize that electrolytic aluminum enterprises pay the price increase in full and in time. It is clearly stated that for electrolytic aluminum enterprises that have not paid the increased electricity fee as scheduled, the increased electricity fee shall be paid at 1.5 times the original price increase standard, and the enterprise energy-saving target responsibility evaluation and assessment will be deducted correspondingly, and joint punishments for untrustworthiness will be implemented. Baoge. For electrolytic aluminum enterprises with self-provided power plants, all regions are required to strengthen the collection work to ensure fair and just implementation of policies.

Seventh, the system for the management and use of increased electricity charges. It is clear that the power grid companies must keep separate accounts and reflect separately for the increase in electricity fee funds formed by the implementation of the tiered electricity price policy. The electricity fee increase funds are coordinated and managed by the provincial development and reform departments in accordance with relevant national policies, and are mainly used to support energy-saving transformation and transformation and upgrading of high-energy-consuming industries, and the construction of new power systems.

Question: What is the highlight of this step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry?

Answer: The major highlight of this step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry is the establishment and improvement of the “two mechanisms”, namely, the step-by-step reduction mechanism for the grading standard and the progressive increase mechanism for the price increase standard, which effectively strengthens the guiding role of the electricity price signal. The industry has a clear expectation, which is conducive to promoting the industry to continue to increase investment in technological transformation, continuously improving energy efficiency, and reducing carbon emissions.

The first is a step-by-step downgrading mechanism for the grading standard. Fully consider the development trend of the industry and the requirements of the energy saving and emission reduction situation, and reduce the tiered electricity price grading standard in three steps, so that the price increase policy can effectively cover the enterprises with backward energy efficiency in the industry, continue to form the pressure, and guide the industry to continuously increase investment in technological transformation. Reduce energy consumption.

The second is the progressive adjustment mechanism for the price increase standard. For electrolytic aluminum enterprises whose comprehensive AC power consumption exceeds the tiered electricity price grading standard, the price increase standard will be increased by 1 cent for every more than 20 kWh. This will gradually increase the price increase standard and more effectively release the guiding effect of the tiered electricity price policy. , As long as the company cuts consumption by more than 20 kWh, it can pay less electricity charges, and its willingness to save energy will be further enhanced.

Question: How to manage the step-up tariff paid by electrolytic aluminum enterprises, and what are the main uses?

Answer: The power grid companies will be required to keep separate accounts and report separately for the increase in electricity fee funds formed by the implementation of the step-by-step electricity price policy for the electrolytic aluminum industry. The electricity fee increase funds are coordinated and managed by the provincial development and reform department in accordance with relevant national policies, insisting on “taken from the industry and used for the industry”, and focus on supporting the energy-saving transformation, transformation and upgrading of high-energy-consuming industries such as electrolytic aluminum.