{"id":1814,"date":"2016-03-23T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-03-23T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/aboutus\/1814\/45-of-chinas-coal-fired-power-plants-in-areas-of-water-over-withdrawal-greenpeace\/"},"modified":"2019-11-23T21:14:15","modified_gmt":"2019-11-24T05:14:15","slug":"45-of-chinas-coal-fired-power-plants-in-areas-of-water-over-withdrawal-greenpeace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/eastasia\/press\/1814\/45-of-chinas-coal-fired-power-plants-in-areas-of-water-over-withdrawal-greenpeace\/","title":{"rendered":"45% of China\u2019s coal-fired power plants in areas of \u2018water over-withdrawal\u2019, Greenpeace"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n\tBeijing, 22 March, 2016 \u2013 45% of coal-fired power plants in China are located in areas of \u2018water over-withdrawal\u2019, a ground-breaking Greenpeace study of the coal industry\u2019s impact on the global water crisis shows. Every year these power plants consume quantities of water equivalent to the basic requirements of 186 million people. Moreover, 48% of proposed coal-fired power plants in China are located in the same \u2018water over-withdrawal\u2019 areas. Greenpeace urges the Chinese government to act immediately to secure China\u2019s water resources and prevent further ecosystem damage.<\/div>\n
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\u201cNot only does coal pollute our skies and fuel climate change, it also deprives us of life\u2019s most basic need, water,\u201d said Harri Lammi, a Greenpeace senior global campaigner on coal.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn China an overlapping of rich coal reserves, water scarcity and fragile ecosystems makes the problem especially pronounced. Yet China continues to expand coal power plants in these regions. This must be halted.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report, The Great Water Grab<\/em>, is the result of collaboration between Greenpeace and Dutch engineering consultancy Witteveen+Bos. It utilises data from Platts World Electric Power Plant Database and the World Resources Institute\u2019s Aqueduct water risk analysis model. The study maps areas of water stress and current and proposed power plants and coal mines and is the first global plant-by-plant study of the coal industry\u2019s current and future water demand.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace East Asia selected the Kuye River basin, located in China\u2019s \u2018energy golden triangle\u2019 and an important tributary of the Yellow River, as a case study for China\u2019s water-coal conflict. Fieldwork shows that the Kuye River\u2019s water flow has already dropped and now runs only intermittently. It is also estimated that by 2020 the river basin\u2019s coal industry alone will consume 105% of the whole basin\u2019s projected total water supply [1]. Furthermore, in non-flood season water quality in the basin has been graded as \u2018Inferior V\u2019, below the quality considered suitable for agricultural use.<\/p>\n

Greenpeace East Asia urges the Chinese government to call an immediate moratorium on coal industry projects in areas of water over-withdrawal and transition towards renewable energy sources, which consume little to no water. Moreover, China\u2019s reduction of over-capacity in the coal industry should prioritise those power plants located in water over-withdrawal areas.<\/p>\n

[1] Projected total annual water volume as according to the EIA report of the Integrated Plan of the Kuye River Basin, https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-eastasia-stateless\/2019\/11\/P020140326615862181717.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Notes to editor:<\/strong><\/p>\n

1)    \u2018The Great Water Grab: How the coal industry is deepening the global water crisis<\/em>\u2019 can be downloaded here: http:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/thegreatwatergrab<\/a><\/p>\n

2)    A media briefing on Greenpeace East Asia\u2019s Kuye River case study can be downloaded here: https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/static\/planet4-eastasia-stateless\/2019\/11\/9c88be16-9c88be16-gpea_how-coal-production-aggravates-the-global-water-crisis_fn.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

3)    Images of the Kuye River case study can be downloaded here: http:\/\/photo.greenpeace.org\/collection\/27MZIFJ6DF0WI<\/a><\/p>\n

Media contact:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Tom Baxter,
\nInternational Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,
\nemail: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<\/a>