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Will Coal Power Use Up China’s Water?
Wednesday, August 15, 2012 5:51
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The economic initiative known as China's 12th 5-year plan may not be as plausible as policy makers would like to think in regards to energy resources. A report today by Greenpeace and the Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources calculated the water consumption of China's growing coal industry. They found that, by 2015, some of China's proposed coal mines and plants would require more water than the land can provide. Coal consumption could use almost 10 billion cubic meters of water, or one-sixth of the Yellow River's total volume annually by 2015. The latest 5-year plan includes building 16 new coal power bases and 14 new large-scale coal mines in some of China's most arid regions. The fragile ecosystems in these areas rely heavily on ground water, rivers, and tributaries to stay healthy. Coal extraction alone is estimated to ruin over 2.5 cubic meters of water for every ton of coal extracted. Not only does it divert tributaries and use river water, but it pollutes the water, making it unsuitable for any other use. In the past this has caused over 10 billion yuan in economic losses. In 2002 a new water law identified fresh water as one of China's most valuable resources, and required all levels of government to protect it. However, this may be at odds with China's coal dependency. Coal currently generates 70% of China's power. For more on this subject, visit our website at ntd.tv For more news and videos visit ☛ english.ntdtv.com Follow us on Twitter …
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2012-08-15 05:45:21
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