A water resources assessment framework for management strategies of large coal-power bases development in China

China is a coal-rich country and produces 50% of the global total coal production. Coal is the source of 51.8% of total energy consumption and, therefore, the most critical and crucial driver of China's economic development. The number of coal-fired power plants has increased rapidly in China in recent years to support economic growth, which has made the power plants the largest coal user (57.7%) in the country. With the continuous expansion of coal power plants, China's coal production increased by 115 million tons per year from 2000 to 2020. This has caused a rapid increase in both water abstraction and the discharge of untreated wastewater, contributing to serious pollution, an imbalance between water supply and demand, groundwater overexploitation, and ecological degradation in the areas with extensive coal mining, coal-fired power generation, and the coal chemical industry. There is an urgent need for an in-depth study and assessment of the advances in the water resources management strategies in large coal-power bases to assess the impact and recommend the strategy for achieving sustainability in water resources. In this paper, a comprehensive, consistent, adaptable, and systematic water resource assessment framework is developed. The strategies are proposed for planning and managing large coal-power bases in China to fill the existing gap in the project planning, development, and implementation of coal mines and power plants and help China to become a carbon-neutral country by 2060.