•Virtual water use of five energy sectors in Chinese provinces are quantified.•Virtual energy-water flows between each pair of provinces are visualized.•The domestic interprovincial trade of energy caused 8.6%∼15.6% of virtual water outsourcing.•There are a general north-to-south flow and a west-to-east flow of virtual energy-water within China.•Inner Mongolia and Shanxi are the largest outsourcers of virtual energy water mainly due to the north region’s consumption. The energy industry in China is responsible for the largest water withdrawal and consumption in the secondary industry. In addition to the large quantities, another important feature of energy-water use in China is a critical spatial mismatch between water consumption and water availability. We used a multiregional input-output model to investigate virtual water of the energy industry in the Chinese provinces, and to determine virtual water flows embedded in energy-related trade among the provinces. The domestic interprovincial trade of energy in China has caused virtual water being used outside of the energy production province, including 8.6% of the virtual water withdrawal and 15.6% of the virtual water consumption. The results demonstrate there are a general north-to-south flow and a west-to-east flow of virtual energy-water within China. This flowing pattern indicates the energy consumption in the more-developed provinces, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Guangdong, are supported by water use from the less-developed provinces where water scarcity is severe. Particularly, Shanxi and Inner Mongolia are two major exporters of virtual energy-water because more than half of the water resources in these two provinces outflow mainly to the north region, imposing huge pressure on the scarce domestic water resources in these two provinces. This study has proved the great importance of and also provided an approach to integrating water-energy nexus into energy industry planning and management in China.