We explore in this study the conflict between the market-priced coal and price-regulated electricity in China,which results from the market-oriented coal price spikes and the government-controlled electricity prices. This conflict has become a serious issue exerting adverse effects on the development of the power industry and the entire economy as a whole. This study presents an analysis on the impacts of the conflict on the thermal power generators in terms of the fuel cost, the operation and maintenance cost, and the capital cost,...