5 Reality and Challenges of China’s Water Resources Management …
185
technologies, both thermal and nuclear power production depends on water for steam
replenishment and cooling, etc. For coal-fired power stations, water is also consumed
in auxiliary processes such as desulfurization, dust removal, coal yard, etc. Of these
production processes, cooling is the biggest contributor accounting for over 90% of
water consumption. To illustrate, based on water withdrawal quota for thermal power,
a once-through cooling coal-fired power generator unit with an installed capacity of
600 MW requires approximately 300 million m
3 of water annually, equal to annual
household water use for 4 million people.
Thermal power and nuclear power stations both entail enormous amounts of water
for operation, yet their impacts on water resources are distinctly different. As of 2019,
the installed capacity of nuclear power in China stood at 44.64 GW. Since nuclear
power production depends on the gigantic energy released by nuclear reaction of
fission fuels, of which the transport is relatively more convenient, all nuclear power
units in operation and under construction now in China are located in coastal regions
with once-through cooling from seawater, in view of safety and water availability, etc.
Over 100 billion m
3 of sea water is consumed annually for this purpose (2018 China
Water Resources Bulletin, 2018). As fission fuels can be conveniently transported
and the nearly infinite seawater cannot be directly put to socio-economic use, no
direct water demand is incurred in this respect, thus nuclear power bears no direct
impact on the current water resources in China.
In contrast, coal-fired power stations entail large quantities of coal for fuel. Most
of coal reserves in China, despite its extensive geographical distribution, are concentrated in the north, relying on powerful means of transportation across regions. Meanwhile, due to the environmental policies for pollution control in developed regions
such as eastern and southern China, pithead power plants close to coal mines has
become a more economically viable option, giving rise to water shortage in north
and northwest China—the arid regions abundant in coal mines but scarce in water.
For example, the five provinces (autonomous regions) in northwest and north China,
namely Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, represent about 76%
of total coal reserves in China but a mere 6.14% of the country’s water resources. The
coal-fired power plants built adjacent to coal mines have worsened water shortage.
The distribution of installed capacity of coal-fired power plants and their water
consuming technologies also exert impact on local water resources. According to the
survey on cooling types of China’s coal-fired power units in this study, by 2015, the
installed capacity of coal-fired power plants in northern China made up over half of
those in the country, and circular cooling was adopted in over half of these power units
in the region. Water demand of circular cooling is over 95% lower than that of oncethrough cooling at the same installed capacity, and most new units adopted air cooling
technique of higher water efficiency. However, advanced cooling technologies are
mainly installed in some regions lacking water such as northwest and north China, for
which still face considerable pressure for water even in the context of technological
progress. Besides, technology progress may further cause the energy rebound effects,
and then trigger the increasing effect on water consumption in the power sector. Not
only that, the stress is mutual: water shortage resulted from power plants has become
the stumbling block of their own operation.
185
technologies, both thermal and nuclear power production depends on water for steam
replenishment and cooling, etc. For coal-fired power stations, water is also consumed
in auxiliary processes such as desulfurization, dust removal, coal yard, etc. Of these
production processes, cooling is the biggest contributor accounting for over 90% of
water consumption. To illustrate, based on water withdrawal quota for thermal power,
a once-through cooling coal-fired power generator unit with an installed capacity of
600 MW requires approximately 300 million m
3 of water annually, equal to annual
household water use for 4 million people.
Thermal power and nuclear power stations both entail enormous amounts of water
for operation, yet their impacts on water resources are distinctly different. As of 2019,
the installed capacity of nuclear power in China stood at 44.64 GW. Since nuclear
power production depends on the gigantic energy released by nuclear reaction of
fission fuels, of which the transport is relatively more convenient, all nuclear power
units in operation and under construction now in China are located in coastal regions
with once-through cooling from seawater, in view of safety and water availability, etc.
Over 100 billion m
3 of sea water is consumed annually for this purpose (2018 China
Water Resources Bulletin, 2018). As fission fuels can be conveniently transported
and the nearly infinite seawater cannot be directly put to socio-economic use, no
direct water demand is incurred in this respect, thus nuclear power bears no direct
impact on the current water resources in China.
In contrast, coal-fired power stations entail large quantities of coal for fuel. Most
of coal reserves in China, despite its extensive geographical distribution, are concentrated in the north, relying on powerful means of transportation across regions. Meanwhile, due to the environmental policies for pollution control in developed regions
such as eastern and southern China, pithead power plants close to coal mines has
become a more economically viable option, giving rise to water shortage in north
and northwest China—the arid regions abundant in coal mines but scarce in water.
For example, the five provinces (autonomous regions) in northwest and north China,
namely Shanxi, Shaanxi, Ningxia, Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, represent about 76%
of total coal reserves in China but a mere 6.14% of the country’s water resources. The
coal-fired power plants built adjacent to coal mines have worsened water shortage.
The distribution of installed capacity of coal-fired power plants and their water
consuming technologies also exert impact on local water resources. According to the
survey on cooling types of China’s coal-fired power units in this study, by 2015, the
installed capacity of coal-fired power plants in northern China made up over half of
those in the country, and circular cooling was adopted in over half of these power units
in the region. Water demand of circular cooling is over 95% lower than that of oncethrough cooling at the same installed capacity, and most new units adopted air cooling
technique of higher water efficiency. However, advanced cooling technologies are
mainly installed in some regions lacking water such as northwest and north China, for
which still face considerable pressure for water even in the context of technological
progress. Besides, technology progress may further cause the energy rebound effects,
and then trigger the increasing effect on water consumption in the power sector. Not
only that, the stress is mutual: water shortage resulted from power plants has become
the stumbling block of their own operation.