Quantification of the water-energy-carbon nexus of the coal fired powerplant in water stressed area of Pakistan

The water-energy-carbon realms are interlinked together in all of the sectors and should be subjected to integrated management. In this study, Water-Energy-Carbon Nexus (WECN) of a 660 MW coal-fired powerplant, a part of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is analyzed to calculate its water and carbon footprints. The power generation unit works on subcritical technology which is considered as the least efficient type. Therefore, more efficient power generation technologies are also studied to assess their effect on the WECN. Moreover, the use of coal for power generation will be responsible for substantial amounts of CO2 emissions and will add to the country's overall greenhouse gas emissions. To counter this, carbon capture and storage technology could be employed for the powerplant; therefore, this study also analyzes the carbon capture technology and its impact on the WECN of the powerplant. For nexus modeling two of the most widely used tools namely, Water Evaluation and Planning (WEAP), and Long-Range Energy Alternatives and Planning (LEAP) have been selected to model the water and energy systems, respectively. Findings show that, the unit has yearly water demand of 11.06 Mm(3) with electricity requirements of 36.36 million kWh and the resulting CO2 emissions can reach as high as 5.76 million metric tons by 2050. Advanced power-generation technologies can save water, the resulting electricity demand while also reducing CO2 emissions of the plant. The water saved by the use of advanced technologies could be used by the hundreds of people residing in an already water-stressed area.