Sources of inefficient power generation by coal-fired thermal power plants in China: A metafrontier DEA decomposition approach

Abstract China is the world's largest CO2 emitting country, and coal-fired thermal power generation accounted for over 50% of total electricity in 2015. This study reports changes efficiency plants from 2009 to 2011 elucidates how differences production scale regional heterogeneity affect efficiency. We propose a metafrontier data envelopment analysis (DEA) decomposition framework investigate sources inefficiency generation. The results suggest that, on average, large-scale 13% higher than that small-scale plants. Although operational main source eastern central China, technology gap - quality coal consumed equipment among regions western China. uses discuss scrapping policies For components vary and, thus, policymakers should consider based not only level but also their components.