Evaluating energy security in China: A subnational analysis

China, a high energy-consuming and large country, is characterized by unbalanced socio-economic development among provinces, inevitably leading to a great disparity in energy security. It is of utmost importance to evaluate the subnational energy security situation in China to formulate effective measures to enhance energy security. This study first analyzed China’s energy situation from 2000 to 2017 in terms of energy consumption by fuel types, energy consumption flows, and energy production, providing a basis for the better understanding of China’s energy demand and supply status. The energy security of China’s 30 provinces from 2011 to 2017 was then evaluated using 21 indicators based on the drivers-pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) model. We found that: (1) the average of provincial energy security was relatively low and experienced a slight decrease from 2011 to 2017. The energy security degree reduced to 0.57 in 2017, and the imbalance of the energy security scores of the five dimensions could possibly be the reason for the low level of the overall evaluation of energy security, especially the low level of “response”. (2) For specific provinces, the top five highest levels of energy security of the provinces in 2017 were Tianjin (0.73), Beijing (0.66), Shanghai (0.64), Heilongjiang (0.64), and Jilin (0.63). Guizhou, Ningxia, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Hebei had the lowest level of energy security in 2017, at 0.51, 0.50, 0.49, 0.49, and 0.47, respectively. (3) Energy-abundant provinces were not the ones that necessarily performed best in terms of energy security. Since energy security performance measurement is a multidimensional evaluation, some energy-abundant provinces, such as Guizhou, Ningxia, and Xinjiang performed poorly in terms of energy security. Some policies have been put forward to enhance these provinces’ energy security effectively.