Jie Fang Ri Bao·2025-05-12 01:45Core Insights - Shanghai's total water consumption for 2024 is projected to be 10.731 billion cubic meters, a 15% reduction compared to 2010 [1] - Shanghai accounts for 1.81% of the national water consumption while supporting 4% of the national GDP [1] Water Rights and Regulations - Water law mandates that entities extracting water from rivers, lakes, or underground sources must apply for water extraction permits and pay water resource fees [1] - Entities with water rights face restrictions on extraction volumes, and exceeding these limits requires applications that can lead to operational disruptions [1] Water Rights Trading - As of March 2023, Shanghai Environmental Energy Exchange has completed 50 water rights transactions, totaling 693,800 cubic meters across various industries [1] - The water rights trading pilot in Shanghai has been upgraded, allowing water rights to be traded and stored with investment institutions for dividends, termed "water trust" [1][2] Water Trust Model - Under the "water trust" model, holders of idle water rights can invest their rights through a trust company, which then sells the rights to qualified temporary users [2] - The first "water trust" initiative has raised 10 million cubic meters of water, with a pricing mechanism ranging from 0.25 to 0.5 yuan per cubic meter [2] - The trust company plans to issue new trusts to meet market demand if initial targets are met ahead of schedule [2]