Spatial-successive transfer of virtual scarcity water along China's coal-based electric chain

Spatially unbalanced energy supply and demand drive energy transfer. However, the spatial impact of energy transfers on water resources throughout the energy chain remains unexplored. This gap is largely a result of the difficulty in modeling successive transfers of virtual scarcity water (VSW). Thus, a more detailed approach than single or discrete transfer modeling is required. Here, we integrated the water footprint, water stress index, and multi-flow and multi-node models into an analytical framework for a coal-based electric chain (CBEC) to link discrete VSW transfers owing to coal transport and electricity transmission. A case study in China was modeled to illustrate the building mechanism of successive VSW transfers along the CBEC. Our model shows that interprovincial coal transport leads to a VSW transfer of 280.95 Mm(3), 8.8 % of which was inherited by a VSW transfer of 388.18 Mm(3) for interprovincial electricity transmission. The two-stage transfer results in a 451.42 Mm(3) of difference in provincial VSW and the water scarcity footprint. We propose to promote technical-level strategies of cleaner production and technical configuration adjustment, management-level patterns of energy supply chain optimization and power source diversification, and market-level incentives of interprovincial compensation and resource coordination to enhance energy-water co-benefits.