Water is a crucial element for the power sector: it is used in hydropower plants to generate electricity and in thermal power plants for steam turbines, emissions abatement and in cooling processes. This dependence on water will prove even more crucial in the context of adaptation to climate change, when water resources could become increasingly scarce.
On 20 September, EURELECTRIC organised a conference to contribute to the discussions on the European Commission's "Blueprint to safeguard Europe's Waters", the Commission's response to the traditional and emerging challenges it faces in reaching its water policy objectives. The power sector is keen to find a sustainable balance between a number of EU policies that touch upon water but whose objectives and tools are not always fully consistent: energy (including the increase in RES generation), climate change mitigation and adaptation, air quality, water and security of supply.
With the efficient use of water resources a growing priority, EURELECTRIC took the opportunity to clarify how power generation 'uses' water, distinguishing between usage that returns water to the water cycle and usage that does not. Debate also took place on the ecological impact of water pricing in electricity generation.