BEIJING -- China used 188.3 billion tonnes of seawater for cooling in 2024, up 1.6 percent year on year, according to a report.

That volume is roughly equivalent to eight times the water volume of Lake Baikal, meeting the cooling-water needs of power, petrochemical, and steel plants in the coastal areas, according to the report released by the National Marine Data and Information Service and the China Association of Marine Affairs.

The country's marine development index reached 129.7 in 2024, a 2.9 percent increase from 2023, according to the report.