Water’s Many Roles in Electricity
Water is involved at many points in the process of producing electricity:
Electricity Generation – More than 90 percent of U.S. power plants need cooling. These types of power plants are called thermoelectric because they use a heat source to produce steam for generating electricity. Hydroelectric power plants use water in a different way, converting the energy in falling water into electricity by passing it through turbines.
Fuel Extraction and Production – Water is a critical resource for the drilling and mining of natural gas, coal, oil, and uranium. In many cases, fuel extraction also produces wastewater, as with natural gas and oil wells and coal slurry ponds.
Fuel Refining and Processing – Oil, uranium, and natural gas all require refining before they can be used as fuels – a process that uses substantial amounts of water.
Fuel Transportation – Water is used to transport coal through slurries — pipelines of finely ground coal mixed with water — and to test energy pipelines for leaks.[1]
Emissions Control – Many thermoelectric power plants emit sulfur, mercury, particulates, carbon dioxide, and other pollutants, and require pollution control technologies. These technologies also require significant amounts of water to operate.