I've seen this figure quoted in news reports such as the one...

I've seen this figure quoted in news reports such as the one below but I'm happy to accept this may be a different process and may not apply to LNC. So what is the water usage for the process LNC would use?


WATER, ELECTRICITY

Whether CTL technology could ever be used on a large-scale will depend on how coal companies deal with the massive amount of water used in the process.

China faces serious water shortages and the Gobi desert, which spans across Inner Mongolia, is expanding rapidly. There are drinking water shortages in northwest China and ground water levels are sinking every year.

Shenhua plans to use ground water and recycled water from coal mines to supply the 8 million tonnes it will need a year.

Yet Zhang said it would need to tap other sources, such as the Yellow River, in the second phase. He would not disclose how much the company spent to build the complex, or how much carbon dioxide it is expected to emit.

"There's no doubt with oil at over $100 a barrel, CTL is very economic ... However the constraint is the availability of water," said Michael Komesarroff from Urandaline Investments.

"The Yellow River often dries up ... In some parts of China, 30 years ago, the water table was 5 meters below the ground. Today it is 35-40 meters below the ground because they take the ground water in an unsustainable way."

Environmentalists say that rather than invest in a process that will probably never be environmentally sound, China and other countries should move towards running cars on batteries rather than liquid fuel.

"If China's primary concern is energy security, then I think you would want to take the most efficient way of using the resources," said WWF's Kendall.

"If you turn coal into electricity at high efficiency, and charge electric vehicles, you can get three times as many kilometers per unit of coal."