Energy Cost Performance of Thermal Power Industry in China Considering Regional Heterogeneity: A Meta-Frontier Cost Malmquist Productivity Decomposition Approach

Since thermal power generation is still one of the main sources carbon emissions in China, economic benefits and productivity industry have been seriously affected recent years with increasingly strict environmental regulations restrictions on emissions, as well by sharp fluctuations coal prices. Therefore, it has an important issue to improve performance industry. Due regional heterogeneity among different regions we introduced a meta-frontier framework into energy cost model develop meta-energy model. The gap between group-specific meta-frontiers was also utilized assess convergence rate frontier meta-frontier. estimated results present that efficiency eastern region outperformed other two regions, Malmquist (CM) these three all showed positive growth, which progress allocative price effect were driving factors. Additionally, central western displayed CM towards