U.S. Power Plants Keep Eyes on Water Use, Cooling Systems as Population, Demand Grow

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--U.S. power plants use almost half of the nation's drawn fresh water, according to the U.S. Geological Survey's water use estimates. Concerns are growing about how much water will be available in the future for thermal power plants, due to population growth, drought, climate change, and federal and state water regulations to reduce water use. Industrial Info is tracking almost $8 billion in cooling water system upgrade capital projects at power plants in North America.

For more information, see September 2, 2014, article - U.S. EPA Finalizes Water Intake Rules for Power Plants.

The U.S population is expected to grow by more than 100 million by 2060, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and the Power Industry will have to determine the effects of various technologies on water use, and its availability at current and future power plants.

Water cooling costs at power plants are measured in millions of dollars per year, and will only continue to grow. The costs will be passed on to consumers through higher electricity rates, attributed to water purchase rights and water contracts, new water wells, or the purchase of recycled water or equipment implemented to lower the volumes of water used at the plants.

The retrofitting of wet- or dry-cooling technologies, or requiring a single-cooling technology for all thermal plants, likely will not be required, as all power plants have differing cooling requirements. Unnecessary retrofitting could cause premature plant retirements, hinder the plant's electrical production output, and negatively impact the distribution and treatment of water to other industries.

Currently, power plants are conserving water in several ways:

• Capturing and reusing storm water runoff, effluent water or brackish water.
• Taking advantage of alternative sources via pumping schedules or capacity adjustments.
• Evaluating pump and motor placement, arrangement, size and variable speeds.
• Performing timely equipment maintenance practices to address leakage, etc.
• Performing turbine modifications in order to increase generation efficiency.
• Reusing water at the plant for additional purposes, such as fly ash-handling, flue-gas desulfurization (FGD) water and dust suppression.
• Using chemicals in specific situations to minimize water use.
• Creating a culture of water conservation in the industry.

A sustainable supply of water and energy will remain a critical priority to the economic health and security of the Power Industry.

Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle™, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.