Energy and water are interlinked and inseparable resources of vital importance to the survival and development of human society. Exploring the relationship between energy and water is of great practical significance for the sustainable development of resources. The uneven regional distribution of energy and water in China has exacerbated energy-related water shortages. Base on the water footprint of energy (WFE), this paper takes Northeast China, the old industrial base, as the research object, and explores the regional distribution characteristics and development trend of WFE, so as to provide quantitative basis for the development of regional energy transformation in coordination with energy and water. This study uses the ISO model and the decoupling model, and analyzes the spatial and temporal changes in the water footprint (WF) of energies and the decoupling effects in Northeast China from the perspective of energy production. The findings show: (1) the WFE grew slowly, and the WF of power gradually exceeded that of fossil energy; (2) the spatial distribution of WFE was unbalanced, with higher WF of fossil energy in Heilongjiang and higher WF of power in Jilin and Liaoning; (3) the decoupling status of WFE from GDP was better than that of WFE from total water consumption. This study also analyzes the driving factors of indicators of water endowment, economic development, energy consumption, environmental governance and life quality, on the WFE based on the Lasso model, and provide policy implications for the coordinated development of energy and water in Northeast China.

Economic transformation is an effective strategy for resource-based regions to avoid the “resource curse”. In China’s high-quality development stage, using new-generation IT to guide economic structure adjustment, industrial upgrading, and technological innovation is of great practical significance. It also helps regions achieve ecological and high-quality development. Based on SDM, this paper takes smart eco-innovation as the driving force for high-quality transformation. The system constructed is built from five aspects: innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing. Additionally, based on the interrelationships among the subsystems, this paper constructs causal loop diagrams and flow diagrams. Taking Daqing City in China as an example, it conducts a scenario simulation of high-quality transformation driven by smart eco-innovation. The finding shows that the combined policy effects of smart eco-innovation are the most significant for the high-quality transformation of resource-based regions. This study provides a new perspective. It explores the transformation of resource-based regions driven by a “smart eco-style” approach and provides references for such regions in China.