Combined effects of carbon pricing and power market reform on CO2 emissions reduction in China's electricity sector

China is pursuing aggressive action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from its coal-dominated electric power system. Two key strategies are power market reform and carbon pricing. This paper investigates the combined effects of these two strategies in reducing CO 2 emissions from power system operations. We develop an economic dispatch model to simulate hourly power supply system operation in China Southern Power Grid in 2018 under fifteen carbon pricing scenarios; these reflect a wide range of policy ambition, from today's carbon prices to much higher ones that aim to instigate aggressive emission mitigation. Our results show that moderate carbon pricing alone is insufficient to effectively reduce CO 2 emissions without concurrent power market reform. With power market reform and as carbon prices increase, large coal units supplemented by energy storage witness higher use rates as they supplant smaller coal-fired generators, until a carbon price of 300 RMB/TCO 2 phases out coal use in favor of natural gas. Only at carbon prices higher than 300 RMB/TCO 2 do emissions begin to decrease appreciably. Geographic disparities emerge among the five provinces that comprise the Southern Power Grid, with Guangdong witnessing the most CO 2 emission reduction at high carbon prices, while emission reductions in other provinces are negligible. Carbon pricing also dramatically increases total power system costs, even at low carbon prices. Our results show the necessity of introducing power market reform and carbon pricing policies concurrently if the goal is to reduce CO 2 emissions, with the ultimate goal being a carbon price significantly greater than 300 RMB/TCO 2 . Because both options will be necessary, our research maps a path to deep emission reductions in China Southern Power Grid for investors, analysts, and policy makers as discussions regarding both reforms accelerate. • We assess combined effects of carbon pricing and power market reform in China. • Carbon pricing cannot reduce CO 2 emissions without power market reform. • CO 2 reductions from carbon pricing are negligible until prices of 300 RMB/TCO 2 . • Even with low carbon prices, power supply system cost increase appreciably. • Existing system can only achieve shallow decarbonization, even at 1000RMB/TCO 2 .