The Carbon Emission Efficiency of China’s Listed Thermal Power Companies: An Improved Three-Stage Slack Based Measure-Data Envelopment Analysis Model

Abstract

ObjectivesCalculate the carbon emission efficiency of listed thermal power companies, compare and analyze the reasons why the efficiency ranks at the bottom and the top driving factors, group thermal power companies according to different conditions, and explore the influencing factors of efficiency differences.MethodsBased on the improved three-stage undesirable-slack based measure (SBM)-data envelopment analysis (DEA) model to more accurately measure the total-factor carbon emission efficiency of China listed thermal power companies during 2016-2022.ResultsThe carbon emission efficiency of listed thermal power companies rises annually and lowers when the effects of the external environment are taken into account. The increasing environmental subsidies from government may lead to excessive investment of capital, personnel and coal consumption in the thermal power companies. The increasing in regional R&D investment has a beneficial impact on company assets, personnel, and coal consumption. The most effective utilization of company assets and employees management will be promoted by a better regional economic level, but wasteful consumption of coal for power generation will occur.ConclusionsThe listed thermal power companies with central control, low coal consumption rate and carbon emissions trading have higher technology gap rate and better overall carbon emission efficiency.

Keywords

• improved three-stage undesirable-slack based measure (sbm)-data envelopment analysis (dea)
• malmquist index
• listed thermal power company
• carbon emission efficiency