Opportunities to Reduce Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Chinese Power Sector

This briefing by the World Resources Institute analyzes the trade-offs between water use and greenhouse gas emissions in China's power sector. It finds that energy efficiency is the most cost-effective way to reduce both, while highlighting that some low-carbon technologies, such as Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Concentrated Solar Power (CSP), significantly increase water consumption. The report recommends regional planning to avoid placing water-intensive technologies in water-stressed areas and the establishment of national and local water withdrawal quotas.

• Energy-efficiency measures and technology are identified as the most cost-effective and efficient strategy for simultaneously reducing water impacts and greenhouse gas emissions, as they increase available electricity supply through consumption efficiency rather than increasing plant generation capacity.
• Among renewable energy options, wind power and run-of-river hydroelectric are noted for having low environmental impact and low cost. However, Concentrated solar power (CSP) plants can require twice the amount of water as coal-fired plants that use the same closed-loop cooling system.
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) for pulverized-coal-fired power plants can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 80 to 90 percent, but this comes with significant trade-offs: a 90 percent increase in capital costs, a 15 to 30 percent drop in power generation efficiency, and a doubling of water consumption.
• The World Resources Institute recommends that China implement sectoral water withdrawal quotas at local, regional, and national levels, promote end-use energy efficiency, and avoid placing water-intensive low-carbon technologies—such as CCS, CSP, and nuclear—in water-stressed regions.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). Opportunities to Reduce Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Chinese Power Sector. https://www.wri.org/research/opportunities-reduce-water-use-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-chinese-power-sector

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Opportunities to Reduce Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Chinese Power Sector. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/opportunities-reduce-water-use-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-chinese-power-sector.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Opportunities to Reduce Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Chinese Power Sector |url=https://www.wri.org/research/opportunities-reduce-water-use-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-chinese-power-sector |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendopportunities, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Opportunities to Reduce Water Use and Greenhouse Gas Emissions in the Chinese Power Sector}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/opportunities-reduce-water-use-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions-chinese-power-sector}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }