经济学人下载:妙招告急-日本能源问题

Electricity prices are high because the monopolies have little incentive to cut costs. On the contrary, their profit margins are fixed by the government, so if they inflate their costs, they boost their income. At the same time, the utilities charge residential consumers a flat rate, giving them no incentive to run appliances during off-peak hours. Alternative energy gets short shrift. Although Japanese firms are leaders in green technologies such as wind, solar and geothermal, these sources account for only 1% of all power generation.

电价高昂是因为垄断商们没什么理由削减成本。而恰恰相反，由于政府规定死了电力公司的利润率，所以他们一旦抬高成本，盈利就会随之增加。同时电力公司按时计价收取家庭用户电费，因此，即使是非高峰时段，用户也没理由狂用家电。替代能源也不受待见。虽说日本企业在风能，太阳能和地热能等绿色能源产业上处于领先地位，但绿色能源发电也只占总发电量的1%。

TEPCO’s influence is vast. It supports politicians from one party; its union supports their rivals. It finances academic research on energy. It takes hacks on junkets. And last year it spent ¥26 billion ($339m) on advertising and promotion—a fortune for a firm with no serious competitors.
       
东电有着巨大的影响力。集团支持一党政客，工会则支持他们的竞争对手。东电为学术能源研究买单,并且资助低层官员公费旅游。去年，东电又花费260亿日元（约合3.39亿美元）做宣传，打广告。没有强劲竞争对手的东电却耗费了这么一笔巨款。

Reformers urge the break-up of Japan’s power monopolies. Separating generation from transmission and opening the door to new entrants would raise efficiency and reduce costs. However, Keidanren, the lobby for big business, opposes deregulation on the ground that TEPCO and its ilk ensure a stable supply of electricity. Several Keidanren members sell parts and services to the power monopolies, and receive steep discounts on the power they use.

革新人士敦促打日本打破能源垄断局势。发电与输电分开经营，打开大门欢迎新成员入驻电力产业，都能提高效率并降低成本。然而，大企业游说团体（Keidanren）却反对放宽管制，他们的理由是东电及其同行能够确保供电稳定。Keidanren的几个会员是电力垄断集团的零件及服务供给商，同时他们也享受着巨大的电价折扣。

Many politicians believe that TEPCO must be preserved so it can compensate the victims of the nuclear accident at Fukushima. A law governing compensation was approved by the Diet on August 3rd. It creates a mechanism to collect funds from TEPCO and other power firms but fails to specify how the costs will be shared. On September 12th TEPCO sent out forms for evacuees to fill in. These are 60 pages long.

不少政客认为东电不能倒台，因为福岛核事故受害者还等着她赔偿呢。日本议会于8月3日通过了赔偿法案，该法案提出向东电及其它电力公司筹资，但却未指明各方承担多少赔偿份额。9月12日，东电分发表格供撤离人员填写，这些表格长达60页。

The new government of Yoshihiko Noda wants to reduce Japan’s reliance on nuclear power in the medium term, but hopes to restart idle reactors in the meantime. Without cheap, reliable power, businesses may move abroad.

野田佳彦新政府打算在中期时间之内，降低日本对核能的依赖，但同时，他们也希望重启闲置反应堆。如若没有廉价可靠的电力供应，许多企业可能会迁往国外。

New firms are clamouring to enter the energy business. Masayoshi Son, a wireless tycoon, plans to build huge solar-power stations and a new grid to connect Japanese prefectures. But the regulatory process is a nightmare, he says. A new law on green energy gives few clues as to how new producers can sell power to the grid, or whether the incumbents have to buy it. Not even an earthquake, it seems, can shake the monopolists’ grip.

新企业吵着要开进能源产业。无线巨头Masayoshi Son打算兴建大型太阳能发电站，并计划新开通一条输电网，连通日本各县。但他表示，规章程序好比噩梦一场。新出台的绿色能源法案几乎未说明，新发电商通过何种渠道向电网出售电力，也未说明现在的电力供应企业是否要购买新能源电力。似乎即便是地震也无法撼动垄断集团的铁爪。