Conceding Too Much? Conflicts between the Government and Developers in Promoting the China 'Wind Concession' Project Model

摘要

Grid-connected wind power has been developed in China since the mid-1980s, with about 535 megawatts (MW) of generation capacity on-line at the end of 2003. The development of generation capacity has been steady but slow, with current capacity comprising only a fraction of the estimated 250 gigawatts (GW) of exploitable resources. A major reason for limited wind energy development is that policy mechanisms designed to support a market for wind power in China have instead been found by developers to be confusing and contradictory. Project approval procedures are unclear, and vary from province to province. Approval for large-scale, often more economically viable projects, must come from the central government and is often difficult to obtain. Information concerning technical details and costs of grid interconnection and transmission is not readily available to potential developers. Long term power purchase agreements (PPA) are rare, and a "cost plus profit" pricing policy has resulted in relatively high tariffs that may fluctuate over time.