China Energy Primer

Based extensively on the China Energy Databook Version 7 (October 2008), the China Energy Primer ("Primer") draws a broad picture of China's energy sector to help users to read and interpret the data presented in China Energy Databook Version 7 and to understand the historical evolution of China's energy industry. The Primer provides a comprehensive historical review of China's energy industry including supply and demand, exports and imports, investment and environmental impact, and most importantly, its complicated pricing system, a key element in the analysis of China's energy sector.

Most of the data cited from the China Energy Databook and analyzed in this Primer were sourced between 1980 and 2006; however, in order to provide more accuracy and completeness of coverage, the Primer has also obtained hard-to-find information such as data on China's energy pricing and its complicated pricing mechanism. Simplified flow charts of pricing mechanisms for each energy source, including renewables, present a clear and readily usable format for the reader keen to analyze China's energy market from their own perspective. Comparison with international energy prices also provides a window into differences between China's energy prices and those of international markets.

The Primer aims to provide a wider understanding of China's fluctuating and fast-changing energy sector, to allow energy analysts and experts, policymakers and enterprises to play more informed roles in both the Chinese and international energy arenas.

The China Energy Primer was prepared by Chunchun Ni, a subcontractor to the China Energy Group at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. This report was funded by the Energy Foundation's China Sustainable Energy Program through Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. The full report is available here.