ENERGY - China Flashcards
1
Q
What perentage of China’s energy is supplied by coal?
A
73% in 2014.
2
Q
How is coal produced?
A
- Most reserves are located in the North West.
- Its largest open pit coal mine, for example, lies in Haerwusu in Inner Mongolia since 2008.
- This presents logistical problems when supplying cities.
- There are 150 coal power plants. Not all are used.
3
Q
What are the advantages of coal production in China?
A
- Coal is comparatively cheap. As of February 2016, it cost only $42 per ton.
- Coal is a reliable energy source with little fluctuation. This is necessary for a population of 1.36 billion, as blackouts would be inconvenient.
- Coal is an abundant resource in China. In the northern regions, for example, there are 110 billion tones of coal available.
- At its current usage, coal will last for 200 more years. This makes it more sustainable than oil.
4
Q
What are the disadvantages of coal in China?
A
- China uses water aquifiers during coal extraction. This can lead to water inrushes, causing mining accidents. This is exacerbated by poor safety standards - 80% of the 16000 known mines are unregulated. In 2009 alone, 2600 died in mining accidents.
- There is inadequate waste management, leading to water pollution. 60% of all groundwater is polluted.
- Mercury, when used in coal combustion, is biomagnified when it enters water sources. This leads to the illness of larger wildlife.
- Burning coal produces sulfur dioxide and acid rain. In 2003, it fell on 250 cities and cost $13.3 billion.
5
Q
What percentage of China’s energy comes from HEP?
A
17% in 2014.
6
Q
How is HEP produced in China?
A
- China is the world’s largest producer of HEP.
- The famous 3 Gorges Dam on the Yagtze river is the world’s largest HEP station in terms of capacity, with a maximum of 22.5 GW.
- Situated largely in the South West where rivers are 200m above sea level.
7
Q
What are the advantages of HEP in China?
A
- HEP is one of the few renewable resources of energy that is flexible with demand (with the use of a pumped storage scheme). With a population of 1.36 billion, this flexibility is particularly necessary.
- HEP plants can last for 50 years.
- Low labour costs.
- Impoundment HEP plants create reservoirs that can be used for recreation, such as fishing.
8
Q
What are the disadvantages of HEP in China?
A
- Displaces residents. For the construction of the 3 Gorges Dam, for example, 1.5 million people were displaced.
- Water availability and thus capacity is currently fluctuating due to drought. China was experiencing the worst drought in 63 years in 2011.
- Probe International warns that there will be implications from siting 1/2 of its dams on areas of high seismic risk.
9
Q
What are the prospects of HEP in China?
A
- Usage expected to increase 3.1% each year for the next 25 years.
- But at the same time, resources are shrinking and doubts have been raised about its profitability. The Three Gorges Dam, for example, was predicted to produce 10% of China’s electricity 2011, when it only managed 1.7%.
10
Q
Changing energy source?
A
- Following entry to WTO in 2001
- By 2013 China’s renewable sources more than 30% of its capacity
- China close 2,000 small coal mines from 2013 to 2016 - private ones
- Coal market turned to oversupply in 2014