TRENDS IN U.S. THERMOELECTRIC POWER WATER USE WATER/ENERGY SUSTAINABILITY SYMPOSIUM WATER & ENERGY POLICY IN THE 21 ST CENTURY September 13 16, 2009
U.S. TRENDS IN WATER USE 1950 2000 WI THDRAWALS WITHDRAW WALS 500 310 450 450 400 400 350 350 300 300 250 250 200 150 200 100 150 50 1000 50 OPULATION P 260 260 210 210 160 160 110 60 110 10 60-40 10 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 00 05 POPULATI ION 0 TOTAL, BILLION GALLONS POPULATION, THOUSANDS 50 55 60 65 70 TOTAL, BILLION GALLONS 75 80 85 90 95 00 POPULATION, THOUSANDS 05-40
U.S. TRENDS IN THERMOELECTRIC 1950 2000 250 4,000 M ILLION GA ALLONS PER DAY 200 150 100 50 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 S GIGAWA ATT-HOUR 0 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 00 05 0 W IT HDRAW ALS ENERGY
2005 ALABAMA WATER USE 12 10 8 6 4 2 05 000 95 90 85 80 75 70 65 60 0 GROUNDWATER SURFACE WATER THERMOELECTRIC TOTAL WIT HDRAWALS, IN BGD
TREND HIGHLIGHTS TH GW withdrawals 1 to 2 percent of the total t groundwater withdrawals Geothermal through 1995 Saline withdrawals, 2000 1960,, 18 states 2000, 39 states U.S. GROUNDWATER WITHDRAWALS FOR THERMOELECTRIC POWER 3,500 3,000 2,500 2,000 1,500 1,000 500 0 3,200 1,610 1,470 1,390 941 1,200 Mgal/d 608 525 565 1,559 50 55 60 65 70 75 80 85 90 95 00
Average Annual Water Withdrawals in 1000 gallons per square mile Pacific Northwest 117 G Great t Basin B i 42 Upper Upper MS 123 Missouri 70 Ohio 185 CO 65 CA 227 Lower L CO 57 Rio Grande 50 AK-White-Red AK White Red 65 TX Gulf Region 99 High Source: 1995 Data from USGS Publication 1200 Great Lakes 184 244 TN Lower MS 199 South Atlantic Gulf 119 Low NE 61 Mid Atlantic 198
Pacific Northwest 33% 48% Great Lakes 5% Upper MS 7% Ohio 6% Missouri 39% Great Basin 54% Upper CO 34% CA 69% Lower CO 57% AK-White-Red 51% Rio Grande 44% Average Annual Consumptive Losses High Mid Atlantic 5% 3% TN Lower MS 39% TX Gulf Region 41% NE 10% South Atlantic Gulf 17% Low i percentt off water in t withdrawn ithd Source: 1995 Data from USGS Publication 1200
Water withdrawals by category Livestock Domestic Public Supply Thermoelectric >1 percent >1 percent 11 percent 48 percent >1 percent Less than 1 5 percent percent 34 percent Mining Aquaculture Industrial Irrigation
DISTRIBUTION OF 2000WATER USE Excluding Thermoelectric 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% Irrigation 65% 50% 40% 30% 20% Public supply 21% 10% 0% TH IR PS IN AQ MI DO LV
Geographic distribution of thermoelectric power withdrawals
THERMOELECTRIC WATER USE DATA BY SUBCATEGORY Site specific Condenser Other on site Fuel type Cooling type cooling needs Fossil geothermal nuclear once through recirculating County 1985 1995 2000 2005 State 1955 to 1980 1985 1995 2000 2005 Watershed 1985 1995 1950 to Water Resources Region 1980 1985 1995
BY COOLING TECHNOLOGY 2000 AND 2005 Amendment to the Federal Pollution Control Act of 1972 and 1977 that required stricter water quality standards Limited it water supplies in some areas of the U.S. Cumberland Power Plant
BY COOLING TECHNOLOGY Once through cooling Lower consumptive use relative to withdrawals Courtesy TVA
COOLING TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS ON THE Recirculating cooling WATER RESOURCE Higher consumptive use relative to withdrawals Courtesy TVA
GEOGRAPHIC DISTRIBUTION OF U.S. THERMOELECTRIC POWER PLANTS. 2000
THERMOELECTRIC TREND HIGHLIGHTS 1950 TO 2000 ~11 fold 11 fold increase in energy production ~5 fold increase in water use Reduced gal/kwh g / 44 gal/kwh 19 gal/kwh Bull Run Steam Plant
COOLING TECHNOLOGY IMPACTS By 2000 60 percent of generating capacity an alternative to once-through cooling 9 percent of the water withdrawn plants using recirculating cooling WATER DEMAND Alabama Power Company
WATER AVAILABILITY THERMOELECTRIC WATER USE
THERMOELECTRIC POWER USGS ENERGY/WATER DATA GAPS Energy Data sufficiency Universe of power plants Water withdrawals Return flow Consumptive use Public supply deliveries Monthly data Data reliability Accuracy of reporting Data accessibility Centralized datastorage Water Targeted gaging networks Targeted QW samplingsites sites Targeted groundwater models
WATER/ENERGY DATA COLLECTION DOE Energy Information Administration USGS National Water Use Information Program Data Element 2000 2005 Monthly water withdrawals. x return flows. x Monthly Monthly consumptive use. x Nuclear water data Annual withdrawals, return flow, consumptive use. x. Data Element 1995 2005 By 8 digit watershed. X Consumptive use. X Public supply deliveries. X Fuel type. X Cooling system type X. Hydroelectric power. X
THERMOELECTRIC PLANT UNIVERSE OWNERSHIP TENNESSEE EIA 2005 The Three C Group 2005 USGS UTILITIES 8 13 10 NONUTILITES 8 20 0 CO GENERATION 5 9 5 Industrial category
CRITERIA: USGS RECIRCULATING PONDS Dedicated to a single purpose; no competing needs Constructed (perched) on property Intake and discharge are internal No direct discharge to a river or lake no receiving body name Not t a Water of the U.S. and regulated by USEPA Pond is not self-sustainable