英国天然气市场运行机制及其对我国市场化改革的启示

英国国家平衡点(NBP)开创了以虚拟交易枢纽为核心的市场运行和定价机制,并为欧盟构建一体化的自由天然气市场提供了区域市场的范本,研究英国天然气市场的运行机制,有可能为我国天然气市场化改革和交易枢纽的构建提供启示和借鉴。为此,分析了英国国家平衡点、天然气市场和容量市场的运行机制,重点剖析了容量市场的监管和定价模型,并得出英国经验对我国天然气市场化改革的启示:(1)立法先行,管网独立,分拆纵向一体化在位者,强制让出市场份额和培养新的市场主体等改革措施值得借鉴;(2)建议将我国天然气市场化改革与行业内相关国企的混合所有制改革相结合;(3)深入研究规制经济学理论及其模型在英国的应用,有利于提升我国政府对输配气管网的监管水平;(4)我国一些省内天然气管网适合发展为以虚拟交易枢纽为基础的区域市场定价中心。结论认为:(1)虚拟交易枢纽在更大地理范围内实现了天然气的标准化,有利于提高市场的运行效率、透明度、流动性和公平性;(2)虚拟交易枢纽的运行和交易较为简单,但输气管网容量市场的定价理论相对复杂,监管难度较大;(3)虚拟交易枢纽的价格仅能反映区域市场内的供需情况。

Operation mechanism of natural gas market in UK and its enlightenments to China's market-oriented reform

National Balancing Point (NBP) of UK created the market operation and pricing mechanism based on a virtual trading point, and provided a regional market model for creating a single liberalized EU gas market. Therefore, studying on the operation mechanism of UK's natural gas market provides insights and references for China's market-oriented reform and trading hub construction. In view of this, we first analyzed the operation mechanisms of national balancing point, natural gas market and capacity market, then focused on the regulation and pricing models of capacity market, and finally proposed implications of UK's experience for China's natural gas market-oriented reform as follows. (1) Reform measures such as precedence of legislation, independence of pipeline networks, separation of vertically integrated incumbents, enforcement on giving up market share, and cultivation of new market players are worth learning from; (2) It is suggested that China's natural gas market-oriented reform should combine with the mixed ownership reform of state-owned enterprises in the industry; (3) Studying theoretical and model application of regulatory economics in UK will help enhance government regulation on transportation networks in China; (4) Many provincial natural gas pipeline networks in China are suitable for being developed into regional market pricing centers based on virtual trading points. In conclusion: (1) Virtual trading point realizes the standardization of natural gas in a larger geographical area, which is conducive to enhancing operational efficiency, transparency, liquidity and fairness of the market; (2) The operation and trading of virtual trading point is relatively simple, but capacity market of pipeline networks is based on complicated pricing theory and more difficult to supervise; (3) The price of virtual trading point can only reflect the supply and demand situation within a regional market.