Development and Reform Commission： Some gas supply and heating enterprises have been investigated for unauthorized price increase of natural gas.
CCTV News:According to the website of the National Development and Reform Commission, on October 1st, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the Notice on Carrying out Key Price Inspections in Urban Water Supply, Gas Supply, Heating and Telecommunications. On December 19th, the National Development and Reform Commission issued the Notice on Further Strengthening the Supervision of Heating Price in Winter to Effectively Protect the People from Winter, and deployed price authorities at all levels to carry out key price inspections in the field of gas supply and heating in China. The inspection found that some gas supply and heating enterprises do not implement government pricing or government-guided prices, and collect fees in engineering renovation and installation. Local price departments have dealt with the problems found out according to law. The penalties for some illegal enterprises are as follows:
1. shangzhi city Zhongxin Thermal Power Company of Heilongjiang Province repeatedly charged the heating network project fee.According to the investigation, in September 2017, shangzhi city Zhongxin Thermal Power Company of Heilongjiang Province charged the 25 yuan/m2 heating network project fee for 102 households who had paid the network access fee to Kang ‘an Heating Property Company in the process of grid-connected transformation of shangzhi city central heating network, with a total charge of 361,200 yuan. The competent price department of shangzhi city, Heilongjiang Province investigated and dealt with the illegal price of the company, ordered the company to refund all the overcharged price of 361,200 yuan to the users, and imposed a fine of 541,900 yuan.
2. Zhejiang Haiyan Natural Gas Co., Ltd. raised the price of natural gas without authorization.From November 28th, 2016 to July 25th, 2017, Haiyan Natural Gas Co., Ltd. arbitrarily raised the sales price of natural gas for non-residents, which should be 2.79 yuan/m3, and actually implemented 3 yuan/m3, with a total sales of 1,972,400 m3. The price department of Haiyan County ordered the company to immediately correct the price violations and refund the overcharged price totaling 401,900 yuan.
Third, the local natural gas supply station of Xuanhan Hexin Natural Gas Co., Ltd. in Xuanhan County, Sichuan Province increased the price of natural gas in disguise.During the period from January 2016 to October 2017, the Tuzhu Natural Gas Supply Station of Xuanhan Hexin Natural Gas Co., Ltd. charged users the price of natural gas. For those users who were not included in the domestic garbage disposal fee for urban residents, they overcharged 0.2 yuan residents’ domestic garbage disposal fee per cubic meter, which increased the price of natural gas in disguise, and sold a total of 1,581,300 cubic meters of civil natural gas, with an overcharge amount of 316,200 yuan. The price department of Xuanhan County investigated and ordered the company to refund the overcharged price of 316,200 yuan to users.
4. Hengyuan Gas Station in Caoxian County, Shandong Province arbitrarily raised the price of CNG natural gas.From November 27, 2017 to November 30, 2017, Caoxian Hengyuan Gas Station sold a total of 1,098.33 cubic meters of CNG natural gas for vehicles, which should be 4.89 yuan/cubic meter, and actually implemented 5.5 yuan/cubic meter, with an extra charge of 0.61 yuan per cubic meter, with a total overcharge of 669.98 yuan. The competent price department of Cao County ordered the filling station to immediately correct the above-mentioned illegal acts and confiscate the illegal income.
In addition, in order to maintain the price competition order in the natural gas market and protect the legitimate rights and interests of consumers, according to the report, the Price Supervision, Inspection and Anti-monopoly Bureau of the National Development and Reform Commission began to investigate the suspected violation of the anti-monopoly law by 17 enterprises including Daqing Branch of China Petroleum and Natural Gas Co., Ltd.
After entering the winter, the consumption of natural gas has increased rapidly, and the transformation of heating projects is also in progress, and some behaviors that infringe on the interests of the people have occurred from time to time. The National Development and Reform Commission requires local price authorities to continue to take effective measures, highlight key inspection points, and urge relevant enterprises and units to strictly implement the relevant national price policies. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen price supervision and anti-monopoly law enforcement in the field of gas supply and heating, find and investigate cases that infringe on the interests of the masses, and publicly expose serious cases of price violations through the news media.