Evaluation of Future Water Use for Electricity Generation under Different Energy Development Scenarios in China

Abstract

Water scarcity and uneven water demand in regional electricity generation pose substantial challenges to the sustainable development of water resources and electricity production in China. Based on the latest official policy of China's electricity development, i.e., the 13th Five-Year Plan of electricity development, this study quantified annual water withdrawal and consumption for future electricity generation in China from 2015 to 2030. This study simulated a three-prong approach to impacting water use for electricity development, i.e., updating the cooling technology mix, increasing non-thermal power generation and relocating thermal power plants to the west. The results showed that solutions to relieve water stress caused by electricity production entail major trade-offs. Annual water withdrawal and consumption were projected to exceed 63.75 and 8.30 billion m 3 by 2030, up approximately 14% and 21% of those in 2015, respectively, if China does not implement any new water and energy policies. Replacing once-through cooling systems with closed-loop cooling systems would decrease national water withdrawal remarkably but increase water consumption. The west-centered spatial distribution of thermoelectric power generation would reduce water use at the national level; however, it will largely increase water stress in northern and northwestern China. Thus, relieving the stress of growing electricity demand on water resources in China requires comprehensive measures and quantitative estimates.

Water Demand Scenarios for Electricity Generation at the Global and Regional Levels

“…The simulation approach is complemented by taking into consideration technological improvements related to the cooling system which result in reduced water use intensities. Input data on location, type, and size of power stations are based on the World Electric Power Plants Data Set [49] and supplemented by data from various publicly available sources, for example, the data obtained by searching for plant-specific information, State of the Environment reports, and national statistics.…”

Earth-Cooling Air Tunnels for Thermal Power Plants: Initial Design by CFD Modelling

“…They calculated a loss of 0.21% of the global gross domestic product in 2070-2095 and they emphasized the importance of saving water as an important benefit for climate change mitigation. Reducing the water dependency of thermoelectric power plants calls for the replacement of once-through cooling systems, the improvement of recirculating technologies, and a higher implementation rate of dry-cooling systems [16].…”

Water–energy nexus of the Eastern Route of China's South-to-North Water Transfer Project

“…Since water and energy are governed by different state institutions, principally the Ministry of Water Resources and the National Energy Administration, there is even more need to enhance our understanding of the water-energy nexus in China. Increased attention is being paid to the energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions of hydropower and hydraulic projects; however, few studies have examined large-scale water diversions (Rothausen & Conway, 2011;Nair et al, 2014;Dai et al, 2017;Lin & Chen, 2017;Zhao et al, 2017). Like other large-scale construction projects, China's South-North Water Transfer Project (SNWTP) is high in energy consumption and carbon emissions, both in its construction and operation.…”