Environmental management case studies:
Management of Energy Supply
National Example
China’s Energy Strategy
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Strategy plans to
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Reduce energy use per GDP by 20%
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Ensure a more secure supply of energy
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Increase sustainability
Demand and changes in demand:
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Average annual demand growth rate of 5.6%
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Consumption rose by 45% between 2006-2013
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570Mtce used in 1978 rose to 3250Mtce in 2010
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Forecast growth to 4840-5070Mtce in 2020, and then up to 55805870Mtce in 2030
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Target to reduce carbon emission by 40-45%
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Issues: worlds top energy consumer, a total of 4.8bn KWh were
generated in 2012
Issues in changes in supply
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Between 2000 and 2010
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Constant 70% coal
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Oil reduced: 22.2% to 16.5%
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Natural gas rose: 2.2% to 4.3%
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Renewables rose: 6.4% to 8.3%
o
2017 data:
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Issues: uranium demand (17 nuclear power stations under construction, with
plans for 124), World’s top coal producer (4bn tons in 2012)
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Actual production of electricity
o
World leader in:
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HEP: 15% of total production
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Wind: 30% global capacity
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Open 1 ‘clean’ coal-fired power station per month
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Between 2003-13; accounted for 87% of the world’s coal consumption
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Greenpeace: 80% CO2 is from burning coal
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Oil production and consumption
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Net imports of 6 million barrels per day
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Consumption to increase while production remains constant
Strategic Petroleum Reserve
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Supply of petroleum held by China as emergency fuel for use in
emergency situations: major price increases, instability in supply, major
disaster
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Managed by the National Development and Reform Commission
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Expanded in 2007
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200 million barrels in 2014, 900 million in 2019
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Expected to reach 1.15 billion barrels, that would last 83 days in 2020
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Main facilities
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Zhenhai, Zhenjiang Province: 52 million barrels
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Tianjin: 150 million barrels
o
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Location
Renewable energy policy
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Produce 15% of overall energy from renewable sources by 2020 and
20% by 2030
o
Program goals (for 2005)
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Reach 13 Mtce of electricity using new and renewable energy
(not hydroelectric)
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Reduce CO2 by 10 Mt and SO2 0.6 Mt
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Increase solar water heating from 11million m2 to 64million m2
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Increase production capacity of solar cells to 15MW with total
capacity 53MW
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Increase manufacturing capacity of wind power to 200MW and
increase capacity to 1.2 GW
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Increase geothermal energy production to 20 million m2
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Increase gas supplies to almost 2 billion m3
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Evaluation of strategy success
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Renewables have increased
o
2012 capacity (2.1% of consumption)
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Wind = 61GW
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Solar = 3.4GW
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2017 capacity (5.3% of consumption)
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Wind = 169GW
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Solar = 130GW
Forecast:
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Consumption per GDP fell by 49% between 2009 and 2020 – echoing
success of 2006-10 plan to reduce by 20%
Located Example
China’s 3 Gorges Dam
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Description
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Built on the Yangtze River, China (near Chongqing)
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Operational 2012, completed 2009 after 17 years
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Created 20,000 jobs during construction
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Ship lift installed in 2015
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Largest HEP in the world (2.3km x 100m x 115m thick)
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Dam is 660km long
Reasons for development (changes in demand)
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Reduce downstream flooding: 3000 dead in 1999 floods, compared
to only 300 in 2012
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Generate HEP to diversify from coal: 70% coal
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Fuel economic growth: reduce flooding and protect Chongqing (35m
is largest metropolitan area in the world), ship locks and lift allow
navigation
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Tame the Yangtze: ambition of leaders such as Emperor Mao
Actual production of electricity (new supply)
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34 generators with total capacity of 22,000MW
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Generates an average 95 ± 20TWh
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2020 monsoon rains = 112TWh
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Generated 100bn KWh in 2011
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Produces power for 60 million people
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Location
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SEEP considerations
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o
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Social
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Locals relocated; reduced flooding (3000 in 1998 vs. 300 in
2012); secure water supplies for 10m; created 20,000 jobs
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1.3m uprooted; 140 towns and 255 cultural sites flooded;
houses, jobs, communities lost; less natural silt fertiliser for
farms
Environmental
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Reduces China’s dependency on fossil fuels
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Destroys wildlife by changing ecology (river dolphins, Sturgeon
fish); eyesore (visual pollution); contaminants not cleaned from
valley floor
Economic
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Protects 10m people from flooding in Chongqing, Wuhan and
Shanghai; 10,000 tonne ships can use locks /lifts to navigate
(encourages upstream industry)
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Cost between 25bnand25bnand88bn (official, estimate); cost
$100bn to relocate displaced
Political
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Political pride in project
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Risk of failure (landslides (150 in 5 months), silt build-up)
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Evaluation of scheme success
o
Scheme has social, environmental and economic consequences (some
positive and negative)
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Contributes to stagnation of coal consumption (50%)
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Produced energy equivalent of 50 tonnes of coal
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Accounts for ¼ China’s electricity capacity
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HEP produced 15% China’s electricity in 2015, with 3GD being largest
example (significantly contributes)
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HEP meets policy aim to ↑ renewables to 15% 2020
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Little room for future expansion – more generators?
Management of a Degraded Environment
Pearl River Delta, South-East China
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Background: 2,900 square miles, huge economic importance as main trade
route for electronics
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Economic importance: contributes 9% to China’s total GDP, produces 5% of
the world’s goods, industries on the delta make around $450bn per year
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Cause of degradation: economic growth from manufacture
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o
Flat, cheap land: has made it a prime trade location, with Shenzhen
offering excellent access to ships. 70,000 companies have plants here
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Labour influx: from nearby rural areas due to huge number of jobs.
Honda alone employs 6,000 people and Foxconn employs more than 1
million
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Direct foreign investment: in 2008 has spearheaded rapid,
unsustainable growth in the area
Problems faced: primarily environmental and social
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Power stations: 366,000 die in China each year due to coal burning
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Air pollution: killed 1.42 million Chinese in 2013, greenhouse gasses
produced contribute to the enhanced greenhouse effect
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Poor water quality: water pollution from factory waste and sewage
means Guangzhou water only safe for irrigation, not human use or
consumption. October 2009 Greenpeace report found beryllium,
copper and manganese – all carcinogens
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Wetlands destruction: land reclamation reduces habitats
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Endangered species: Chinese white dolphin, since polluted water is
discharged into the sea
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Inedible fish: those caught from the Pearl River have high levels of
heavy metals, such as lead (poisonous)
Attempts to improve
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Water pollution loan: 2007 World
Bank 96mloantofixwaterpollution.96mloantofixwaterpollution.7bn total
spent on river by 2010. 30 water treatment plants, to treat 2.25m
tonnes water per day. Aims to reduce sewage by 85%
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Success: an increase from 85% to 95% in Grade I-III (class
A/B. Good for drinking) in water quality (% of monitored points),
but still 24% of river length had water of Grade V+ in 2015
(useless water). 62% safe
o
PRD Air Quality Management Plan: aims to reduce SO2 emissions
from power stations by 40% by 2010, hence reducing smog and acid
rain, by switching to natural gas from coal (burns cleaner, still produces
GHGs). Launched 2008, referencing values to 1997. Reduce RSPs by
55% and NOx by 20%
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Success: between 2006 and 2014; SO2 fell by 64%, NO2 by
4% and RSPs by 25%
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Continued investment and development: will naturally bring about a
stabilisation in the population and energy demand, so naturally with
time, the environmental consequences will become less severe
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Success: only time can truly tell how successful the 2
sustainable management plans have been, and if development
does bring about stability for the area