Water Supply for Power in Texas‐Gulf Region

Abstract

Most water‐energy assessments have considered only a few water supply types and conservation technologies. Yet utilities are not only developing traditional surface sources, but are also using ground and waste water and buying water rights from irrigators. A linear program is developed that incorporates: (1) Supply curves for several water sources that reflect institutional constraints; and (2) water demand curves based on‐ the cost of alternative power plant cooling methods. The purpose of the model is to aid the Electric Power Research Institute in strategic planning on water availability issues. For the Texas‐Gulf region in the year 2000, it is found that the high cost of dry or mixed wet/dry cooling is unjustified unless: (1) New technologies lower the incremental cost of wet/dry cooling by more than 80%; or (2) unforeseen institutional restrictions prevent utilities from securing economic surface and ground water supplies. This conclusion contradicts previous studies which projected serious water‐energy conflicts for the region.