Water Environment Federation, 9th Annual Industrial Wastes Technical and Regulatory Conference, April
13-16, 2003, San Antonio, TX
1
Electric Utilities and Water: Emerging Issues and R&D Needs
Thomas J. Feeley, III
U.S. Department of Energy
National Energy Technology Laboratory
626 Cochrans Mill Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Phone: 412-386-6134
Fax: 412-386-5917
E-mail: thomas.feeley@netl.doe.gov
Massood Ramezan
Science Applications International Corporation
626 Cochrans Mill Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15236
Phone: 412-386-6451
Fax: 412-386-4516
E-mail: massood.ramezan@netl.doe.gov
Abstract
Electricity production requires a reliable, abundant, and predictable source of water, a
resource that is in limited supply in parts of the United States and much of the world.
The process of thermoelectric generation from fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and natural
gas, as well as nuclear power, is water intensive. In fact, each kWh generated requires on
average approximately 25 gallons of water to produce1. This means that U.S. citizens
may indirectly depend upon as much water turning on the lights and running appliances
as they may directly use taking showers and watering lawns. The demand for water by
the electric-utility sector will compete with demands from other sectors of the economy.
As such, the availability of adequate supplies of water to produce electricity and the
impact of power plant operations on water quality are receiving increased attention.
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory
(NETL) sponsored a workshop on the interdependency of water and electric energy. The
workshop, held on July 23-24, 2002 in Pittsburgh, PA, was cosponsored by two other
DOE laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and Sandia National Laboratory.
The purpose of this workshop was to provide a forum for discussion of current and
emerging water issues that could impact electricity generation in the United States with
the overall goal of identifying opportunities for public-private partnerships to address