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Virtual scarce water embodied in inter-provincial electricity transmission in China

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Chao
  • Zhong, Lijin
  • Liang, Sai
  • Sanders, Kelly T.
  • Wang, Jiao
  • Xu, Ming

Abstract

Intra-national electricity transmission drives virtual water transfer from electricity production regions to electricity consumption regions. In China, the water-intensive thermoelectric power industry is expanding quickly in many water-scarce energy production hubs in northern and northwestern provinces. This study constructed a node-flow model of inter-provincial electricity transmission to investigate the virtual water and scarcity-adjusted virtual water (or virtual scarce water) embodied in the electricity transmission network. It is revealed that total inter-provincial virtual water transfer embodied in electricity transmission was 623millionm3 in 2011, equivalent to 12.7% of the national total thermoelectric water consumption. The top three largest single virtual water flows are West Inner Mongolia-to-Beijing (44millionm3), East Inner Mongolia-to-Liaoning (39millionm3), and Guizhou-to-Guangdong (37millionm3). If the actual volumes of consumptive water use are translated into scarcity-adjusted water consumption based on Water Stress Index, West Inner Mongolia (81millionm3), Shanxi (63millionm3) and Ningxia (30millionm3) become the top three exporters of virtual scarce water. Many ongoing long-distance electricity transmission projects in China will enlarge the scale of scarce water outflows from northwestern regions and potentially increase their water stress.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Chao & Zhong, Lijin & Liang, Sai & Sanders, Kelly T. & Wang, Jiao & Xu, Ming, 2017. "Virtual scarce water embodied in inter-provincial electricity transmission in China," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 187(C), pages 438-448.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:appene:v:187:y:2017:i:c:p:438-448
    DOI: 10.1016/j.apenergy.2016.11.052
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    References listed on IDEAS

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