Understanding the water-energy nexus: A case study of Ningxia

Using Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region in China as a case study, the thesis addresses the interconnectedness between water and energy and investigates the regional water-energy nexus to assess the coherence of relevant policies and to explore opportunities to achieve sustainable development. Ningxia is extremely scarce in water but abundant in coal. On one hand, the government sets stringent targets to conserve water; on the other hand, the region has ambitious plans to develop the water intensive coal and relevant industries. Based on current development status and policies, the water and energy systems are modeled by WEAP and LEAP, respectively. The regional water-energy nexus is mapped to reveal the interactions between water and energy sectors. From the water policies, it is estimated that the water demand would decrease slightly in 2015; from the energy policies, the energy demand and production would increase greatly. Through the nexus approach, it is found that while energy is abundant to satisfy the increasing demand by the water sector for production and supply, water, however, cannot support the aggressive energy development. The huge water deficit indicates the potential incoherence of current policies and the unsustainable development mode. Nevertheless, there are opportunities to secure resources sustainability. This thesis highlights the viability of the water-energy nexus approach for comprehensive cross-sectorial assessment in policy making and resource management.