In 2023, the State Grid Corporation of China, as the "third" of the world's top 500, will have an annual revenue of 530 billion US dollars, but its debt will soar to 3 trillion yuan!
According to the published data, the debt scale of the State Grid in 2022 will be as high as 2.64 trillion yuan, and the total debt of China Southern Power Grid will reach 0.6 trillion yuan, and the sum of these two will exceed the 3 trillion yuan mark
Many people don't know what this figure means, but if calculated on average, 1.4 billion Chinese each have to carry more than 2,100 yuan in debt for power grid companies
Who is to blame for such a high level of grid debt? Many people point the finger at grid employees, believing that their high welfare is causing the grid to spend too much
Although the benefits of power grid employees have always been not low, such as Shandong, Beijing, Shanghai and other places The annual salary can reach about 180,000, and the annual salary of power grid employees in Shaanxi, Shanxi and other places is also about 120,000
In addition, five insurances and one housing fund, year-end bonuses, and holiday benefits, compared with many private enterprises and state-owned enterprises, the treatment is on the upper side
But is it really what most people think? The reasons behind this are worth pondering
Development of power grids
Electricity is the cornerstone of modern society, and if it is missing, the whole society will face a shutdown
With such a key resource, it is difficult for individuals or private enterprises to support the needs of the country, so the establishment of the State Grid is derived from the national needs during the founding of the country
At that time, the new China was in ruins, and the power grid provided a very important help for the country's infrastructure
In 1955, the Ministry of Electric Power Industry came into being, but at that time, many domestic infrastructure was not perfect, so the power supply efficiency and scope were difficult to satisfy, and large and medium-sized cities and heavy industry bases became the beneficiaries of power resources at that time
With the country's emphasis on the power industry, and constantly increasing the investment in manpower and material resources, the construction of the power grid is also doubling down to provide necessary power for many remote areas
With the gradual increase in the coverage area of the power grid, the transmission efficiency has also been significantly improved, and finally the State Power Company, the predecessor of the State Grid, was formed
Later, after countless reforms and restructurings, it transformed into today's energy giant: State Grid Corporation of China
Why is such a huge company in debt?
Electricity supply is a special commodity related to people's livelihood, so it has a strong public welfare, in order to protect people's livelihood, government departments have been strictly controlling electricity prices
From the beginning of the 10th century to the present, residential electricity consumption has been stable at about 0.6 yuan per kilowatt-hour
1. Rising costs
With the rapid development of the country, people's living conditions are getting better and better, prices are rising, and the employment costs, raw materials, and maintenance of power grid enterprises will also rise accordingly
Taking coal as an example, in 2021, affected by the global energy crisis, the price of coal has soared, and the highest price has directly reached 571 yuan per ton
However, the rise in electricity bills is far from keeping up with the rise in costs, so the life of power grid companies has become a little sad
2. Investment in power grid construction and maintenance
The second reason is the investment in the construction and maintenance of the power grid, which is also a huge system project, erecting transmission lines, updating aging equipment, coping with extreme weather, and improving the reliability of power supply, all of which require a lot of capital investment
Although it is simple to make an investment, the payback period of the grid is very long, usually more than 17 years
In order to allow residents and enterprises in remote mountainous areas to use electricity, the power grid also has to undertake a large number of rural grid transformation tasks, this kind of return on investment can be imagined, which undoubtedly also increases the financial burden of power grid enterprises
The State Grid's huge investment in the construction of facilities is the main source of its debt, and the State Grid industry is committed to achieving nationwide coverage of even the most basic power base stations
At present, the coverage rate has reached 98%, and behind this remarkable achievement, the efforts of power grid companies are also immeasurable, even in the world, it is difficult to find opponents
3. The promotion of electricity reform
In the latest round of electricity reform, the state put forward the idea of "controlling the middle and letting go of the two ends", but it was restricted by a number of factors during the reform and has not yet been truly implemented
Power grid enterprises are also facing the problems of insufficient market-oriented competition pressure and poor business vitality
4. Facing the challenges of the new situation
The last reason is that the development of the power grid is still facing the challenges of the new situation, and under the dual carbon goal, large-scale new energy access has brought difficult challenges to the regulation and operation of the power grid
The rapid development of new power loads, such as new energy vehicles and energy storage equipment industries, has also put forward higher requirements for the intelligent level of power grids
In order to adapt to the development of the new situation, it is very necessary to continuously increase investment in the power grid and accelerate transformation and upgrading
In summary, the loss of power grid companies is not only caused by a single factor of high employee welfare
As an infrastructure related to the national economy and people's livelihood, the power grid needs to balance public welfare and profitability, protect people's livelihood while reducing costs, and do a good job in the present while conforming to the development of the times and continuous reform
The future of the power grid
The future development trend of the power grid will mainly focus on the following aspects:
1. Promotion of renewable energy
The State Grid will further promote the use of renewable energy, including solar energy, wind energy, hydropower, etc., and continue to increase the research and development and application of renewable energy, power transmission and storage technology
The large-scale use of renewable energy will reduce the proportion of traditional fossil energy use, effectively reduce carbon emissions, and promote the transformation of the grid power industry to a low-carbon economy
2. Smart grid construction
With the rapid development of information and the Internet, smart grid has been paid attention to as the main development direction of the power industry
The smart grid will realize the refined management and control of power through digitalization and automation technology, increase the reliability of the power grid, and maintain a sustainable and intelligent level
3. Construction and upgrading of regional power grids
With the rapid advancement of urbanization, the demand for energy is also rising, and the construction and upgrading of regional power grids will become one of the important tasks of the power grid industry in the future
The regional power grid will be characterized by distributed generation and power supply, which can better adapt to the energy demand in the region and improve the reliability and stability of power supply
The State Grid is committed to social responsibility and public service provision, and has gradually accumulated huge debts
For the millions of employees of the State Grid, it is also appropriate to enjoy high welfare returns under the hard work, after all, they have made great contributions to the development of the mainland's electric power industry
Whether it is a worker wading through mountains and rivers in remote and impoverished areas, or a busy migrant worker in the city, the work is not as easy as imagined, especially for workers in poor areas, who have to overcome many difficulties
There will also be irregular working hours, always ready to deal with unexpected situations, and the work of the power grid system is also highly professional, and not everyone can easily do it
Epilogue:
From a worldwide perspective, the price of electricity in the mainland is relatively low, and after all, electricity is used by thousands of households
Whether it is urban, rural, senior executives or migrant workers, the only difference is that they use more and use less, and if the price is adjusted, the cost of living of the people at the bottom will rise sharply, and controlling the price of electricity will also bring tangible benefits to the masses
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