Virtual Water Embodied in Interregional Energy Trade in China: A City-Level Analysis

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Water Resource Management
• Energy Systems Analysis

Background:

• Energy production significantly impacts water resources.
• China's extensive fuel trade and transmission grids create water inequalities.
• Previous studies lacked city-level spatial resolution for water-energy assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a spatially explicit, economically integrated water-use for energy assessment in China.
• To distinguish and quantify water consumption for primary and secondary energy at the city level.
• To analyze intercity virtual water flows in China's energy sector.

Main Methods:

• Combined a bottom-up assessment approach with a city-level multiregional input-output model.
• Examined water consumption for coal mines, oil and gas fields, and power plants.
• Quantified intercity virtual water trade in the energy sector.

Main Results:

• Total energy-related freshwater consumption was 4.9 Gm³ in 2017, with secondary energy (81%) consuming more than primary energy (19%).
• Coal was the dominant water consumer for both primary and secondary energy.
• Intercity virtual water trade constituted 54% of total energy-related freshwater consumption.

Conclusions:

• Significant city-level virtual water patterns exist for primary and secondary energy.
• 32% of Chinese cities engage in bilateral virtual water trade for energy.
• Findings provide crucial data for city-level water management and collaboration on virtual water flows.