China’s government on Monday took aim at the nation’s grid companies with a plan to introduce more competition into its power sector that could ultimately lower electricity prices for Chinese factories. The plan, released by China’s top economic-planning body, is the clearest signal yet that the government under President Xi Jinping wants to shake up China’s power grid—one of the most sensitive reform areas given the importance of stable electricity supply to the economy. Slowing growth has made it more urgent to tackle electricity pay rates for China’s companies, which in many cases are higher than for its rivals overseas, including in the U.S. The reform plan jointly released by China’s National Development and Reform Commission and the National Energy Administration on Monday builds on a government blueprint released earlier this year. Analysts say intense wrangling between the government and China’s grid companies has been playing out for months […]