Spatiotemporal feature of the water footprint of energy and its relationship with water resources in China

Energy and water resources are very important for human survival and social development. Energy and water footprint can reflect the real situation of water resources occupation in the process of energy production. With the help of the water footprint assessment model, this study measured and calculated the life cycle water footprint of fossil energy and electricity production in 30 provinces (municipalities, autonomous regions) in China. It examined the spatiotemporal patterns of water footprint of raw coal, crude oil, natural gas, hydropower, and thermal power in China from 2004 to 2016, and analyzed the spatial matching relationship between water footprint and water resources. The results show that: During the study period, the water footprint of fossil energy production increased before 2012 and decreased thereafter, and the rapid growth of water footprint of hydropower contributed to the continuous growth of water footprint of power. Spatially the water footprint of fossil energy production increased west of the Aihui-Tengchong Line and decreased to its east, and there is a high-value cluster in the Inner Mongolia-Shanxi-Shaanxi area. With regard to the water footprint of power, there is a clear spatial division between hydropower and thermal power, and the rapid growth of the water footprint of hydropower makes the Yangtze River Basin, the Pearl River Basin, and southeastern coastal areas gradually form high value concentration areas of water footprint of power. The spatial matching degree of water footprint and water resources fluctuates downwards from the south to the north, and the matching degree of water footprint of fossil energy production is lower than that of the water footprint of power and water resources. The contradiction of energy-water between raw coal production and thermal power generation is most prominent. There is a problem of energy-water mismatch in one third areas of China, and the energy-water matching pressure in North China with high water footprint is large. The contradiction between energy production and water resource endowment still exists. Reflecting on the matching relationship between energy water footprint and water resources will help optimize the comprehensive management of energy and water resources and provide a quantitative basis for maximizing the synergy of energy and water.