Research On Water Footprint And Virtual Water Transfer Of Coal Power Industry Based On MRIO

Under the goal of "double carbon",China’s power system needs to accelerate the pace of low-carbon transition,and the role and status of coal power in China’s power system will change dramatically.In China’s existing power structure,coal-fired power generation consumes a large amount of water resources,including the cooling water required by coalfired power plants and water used by the upstream coal mining industry,etc.A considerable part of the contradictions between coal power and water resources need to be resolved,and it is crucial to deal with the relationship between energy and water resources for social development.It is significant to pay attention to the water consumption of energy activities,and to make "forward-looking" predictions on the water footprint and virtual water transfer trends in the coal power industry under the background of power transition,so as to effectively reconcile the conflicts between water scarcity and the pressure of coal power security and supply,and to realize the optimal allocation of regional water resources,which plays a remarkable role in protecting the environment and promoting the sustainable development of water resources.Based on this,this paper analyzes the current situation of water footprint and virtual water trade in coal power industry through water consumption,water consumption pressure,water footprint,virtual water and other water resources evaluation indexes.Then,researching the evolution of water footprint and virtual water transfer trends in coal power industry in different regions under different power transition scenarios through a multiregion input-output model of key years,which is dedicated to exploring the conflicts between the coal power industry and water resources in the future transition of the power system.The main conclusions are as follows:(1)At present,the water consumption of China’s power production industry mainly comes from the coal power industry,and the water consumption pressure is higher in the coal-fired power plant gathering areas such as North China Power Grid.(2)Most of the water footprints in the coal power production process are direct water footprints,and indirect consumption mainly occurs in the coal mining products industry.(3)Virtual water in various region is mainly generated by local economic activities,with North China Power Grid having the highest virtual water trade.In addition,the virtual water transfer path between the power grid regions is determined by the local economic structure,trade in the coal power industry and water reserves.Furthermore,virtual water flow out of the region is mainly for the North China Power Grid and the East China Power Grid,while the Southwest Power Grid and the Northwest Power Grid are the main virtual water inflow regions.(4)Under the background of power transition,direct water footprint is still the main part of water footprint of coal power industry.Also,water consumption,water consumption pressure index,water footprint as well as virtual water of coal power industry in various region show a short rise and then a continuous decline.While the decline is the fastest under the scenario of faster development of new energy.At the same time,the main virtual water inflow and outflow areas of each region did not change significantly as the power transition process progressed.Eventually,in order to better promote the sustainable development of water resources under the background of power transition,this paper puts forward corresponding recommendations from both water resources management and coal power production management.