POWER June 2014 - 10

3. Water woes. While about 90% of global power generation is
water intensive, several countries face varying degrees of water scarcity,
stress, or vulnerability. Courtesy: United Nations World Water Development
Report 2014: Water and Energy
even though China " could see increased production costs in the
short term as it could be more expensive to access alternative
water supplies, address ongoing regulatory changes, and guard
against potential disruptions, " the report says.
For India, the outlook is much more dire. More than 70% of
that country's power plants are located in water-stressed or waterscarce
areas. Water risks will be borne more prevalently by unregulated
generators-those not shielded by protective regulations
enjoyed by India's state-owned power sector. However, a national
policy framework calls for a 20% improvement in water efficiency
nationally through regulatory mechanisms, encouraging conservation
and wastewater minimization, the WRI says. While the framework
also calls on water users, generators included, to optimize
recycling and reuse practices, several other measures could help
utilities in stressed regions. These include building backup supply
reservoirs and desalination plants, regulator water audits, and concrete
standards for water consumption in the power sector.
treatment but also desalination. Use of desalination has increased
significantly over the last 20 years, the report says, surging on costs
that have reportedly dropped below $0.50 per cubic meter (m3
).
More than 16,000 desalination plants exist worldwide today with
a total operating capacity of roughly 70 million m3
/day-and that
operating capacity could nearly double by 2020, industry observers
suggest. But desalinated water involves the use of at least 75.2
TWh/year, which is about 0.4% of global power consumption, and
it continues to be an expensive solution for developing countries or
large water users.
Water shortages put coal generation particularly at risk, the
World Resources Institute (WRI) warned in a separate Marchreleased
report. The global research organization in July 2012
estimated that 1,199 new coal-fired power plants with a total installed
capacity of more than 1,400 GW have been proposed in 59
countries-though more than 75% of that is slated for China and
India alone. But more than 50% of the world's largest coal-producing/consuming
countries face " high to extremely high levels " of
water stress (Figure 3), attributable to many competing demands
on water resources, it said. Ranked at the top of the high waterstress
risk list for major coal producers/consumers is Kazakhstan,
followed by India, South Korea, Australia, Indonesia, Japan, South
Africa, China, the U.S., Germany, Poland, Russia, and Columbia.
China, whose coal-fired capacity accounts for more than 66%
of its national total power capacity, has average water resources
of only 1,730 m3
/yr per capita-barely above the UN's " water
scarcity market. " Eight Chinese provinces have fewer than 500
m3
/yr per capita of total available surface water, on par with
Middle Eastern countries such as Jordan or Syria. Worsening matters
further is that two-thirds of China's coal mines are located
in the water-stressed north, which means at least 58% of its
existing coal fleet competes heavily for water with industrial,
agricultural, and domestic resources.
However, recognizing future water challenges to its energy
sector, China's Ministry of Water Resources recently announced a
water allocation plan that specifies water-use efficiency and discharge
requirements for existing coal plants-including mandatory
air cooling technology for those facing water scarcity-and
requires all new coal mines to submit a water resources planning
study. Meanwhile, China's State Council has set down three national
goals for water: To cap annual maximum water use nationwide
at 700 billion m3
, improve industrial water-use efficiency
to an internationally advanced level, and protect water quality.
Those are a " step in the right direction, " the organization says,
10
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POWER | June 2014
4. Back to life. Basemat concrete pouring for China's first twin
high-temperature gas-cooled reactors was completed in April at the
Shidaowan site in Shandong Province. Plans call for as many as 18
generation IV reactors to be built at the site. Courtesy: China Nuclear
Engineering Corp.
China Starts Construction of HTR
Demonstration Plant
Construction of China's first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor
(HTR) demonstration plant kicked off this April after pouring of concrete
for the basemat of the Generation IV reactor was completed.
Though approved in 2005, China's State Council suspended
development of the Shidaowan-1 plant (Figure 4) in Shandong
Province-a high-priority National Major Science and Technology
project-following the Fukushima disaster in 2011.
According to the World Nuclear Association, the demonstration is
expected to begin operating in 2017 and will feature twin HTR-PM
(pebblebed module) units that will drive a single 210-MW turbine.
At least 18 other HTR units are proposed for the Shidaowan site. Part
of the Rongcheng Nuclear Power Industrial Park project, the site will
also demonstrate CAP1400 units-which are domestically sourced
advanced reactors based on Westinghouse's AP1000 design.
The HTR-PM units, which are expected to lead to commercial
versions, will use pebble bed fuel and helium coolant, each with
a single steam generator.
The plant is being built by a joint venture led by China
Huaneng Group (the country's largest generator, but which has
no nuclear capacity), China Nuclear Engineering & Construction
Group, CNEC Corp, and Tsinghua University's Institute of Nuclear
and New Energy Technology. The engineering, procurement, and
construction contract signed in 2008 involves Shanghai Electric
Co. and Harbin Power Equipment Co.
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POWER June 2014

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