China’s Cleaner-Air Plan Puts Water Supplies at Risk: WRI
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China’s plans to develop coal-to-gas plants as part of efforts to reduce air pollution may pose a threat to water supplies in arid regions, according to a research group involved in climate and energy issues.
“Most of the plants are planned to be built in the west including Inner Mongolia, where China has its main coal production,” Wen Hua, a Beijing-based analyst at the World Resources Institute, said yesterday. The region is “more water-stressed,” and converting coal to gas is a water-intensive process, Wen said by phone.