State Grid charges ahead with plan
Print Edition
STATE Grid Corp of China said it will invite private capital to build charging stations for electric vehicles, becoming the latest major state enterprise to open up its business under a government reform plan.
State Grid said it won’t charge any service fees for a charging station being built and connected to the grid, and investors can choose their own design, contractors, equipment and materials.
The company will also invest in new distribution networks to ensure power supply in residential areas with high densities of charging stations.
The move follows the central government’s call for the private sector to play a bigger role in the economy. Refining giant Sinopec Corp earlier announced a plan to divest 30 percent of its fuel-marketing business to the private sector, while oil major PetroChina Co is selling its gas pipeline assets.
State Grid is a monopoly power distributor in all but five southern provinces. The dominant position gives it a natural edge in China’s potentially huge electric-vehicle charging market, but risks exist and returns are not ensured.
The government is eager to fight pollution and provides incentives for buyers of electric cars. Still, China’s electric car market has had a relatively slow start. There have been difficulties in building charging networks, amid energy industry disputes about who will finance, build and own them.
State Grid had built 400 charging stations and 19,000 charging poles as of the end of last year. But China aims to have 400,000 charging poles by the end of 2015, according to a government plan. Charging poles are individual plug-ins, and sometimes they are grouped in stations.
Under the latest plan, State Grid said it will also make things easier for individuals who want a private charging pole if they have a permanent parking spot and have the permission of their property managers. Power rates for private charging poles will remain the same as residential tariffs until the government announces specific rates for electric vehicle charging.
Individuals will be treated as other private investors, exempt from service fees while the pole is being built and connected.
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