Withdrawal and consumption of water by thermoelectric power plants in the United States, 2015

The U.S. Geological Survey has developed models to estimate thermoelectric water use based on linked heat and water budgets. The models produced plant-level withdrawal and consumption estimates using consistent methods for 1,122 water-using, utility-scale thermoelectric power plants in the United States for 2015. Total estimated withdrawal for 2015 was about 103 billion gallons per day (Bgal/d), and total estimated consumption was about 2.7 Bgal/d. Model-estimated withdrawals decreased approximately 26 Bgal/d, or 20 percent, since 2010, and consumption decreased approximately 734 million gallons per day, or 21 percent. The decrease in thermoelectric water use between 2010 and 2015 can be attributed in part to a 7-percent decrease in total thermoelectric utility-scale electricity production, a combination of decreased electricity production and closure of coal-fired plants with once-through cooling systems, and the increase of electricity production at natural gas combined-cycle plants, which are more energy- and water-efficient than conventional thermoelectric plants.