Water and the electricity generation industry - implications of use

Water and the electricity generation industry - implications of use is a report prepared by the consultancy companies, ACIL Tasman and Evans and Peck. The report, which was published in August 2009, was commissioned by the National Water Commission, an Australian government agency, and the Australian Government Department of Resources, Energy and Tourism.

"Issues related to water availability and carbon dioxide emissions present long term challenges for electricity generators. This is because water-cooled, low-emission, thermal power plants are likely to be significantly more water intensive than current coal-fired power plants. For example, coal-fired power plants incorporating carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be one-quarter to one-third more water intensive. Furthermore, as solar thermal and geothermal power plants are likely to operate at lower thermal efficiencies than conventional coal-fired steam turbines, they are also likely to have a higher water intensity," the report states.

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