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The Climate Column As Britain gets drier, we don’t talk about how much water nuclear power uses A new fleet of nuclear power stations would require staggering amounts of water we don’t have, writes Donnachadh McCarthy The Tory Energy Secretary has authorised the consumption of more than 20 billion litres of water by a new nuclear plant (PA) Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailPlease enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy notice Thanks for signing up to theView from Westminster email{{ #verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ ^verifyErrors }}Something went wrong. Please try again later{{ /verifyErrors }} In the middle of one of the worst droughts in British history, Kwasi Kwarteng, the Tory Energy Secretary, has just authorised the consumption of more than 20 billion litres of water by a new nuclear plant. A British person would have to turn off all their taps for 385,000 years to save that much water. To make matters worse, the new Sizewell C power plant will be located in East Anglia, one of the driest parts of Britain. It is no wonder therefore that today a legal challenge to the government’s decision was launched by the campaign group Together Against Sizewell C (TASC). Kwarteng okayed it despite the planning inquiry recommending a refusal for precisely that reason – there was no clarity over where the water for the building and operation of the nuclear power plants would come from. They also do not know where the nuclear waste can be dumped! This week, France had to reduce its nuclear power operations because the cooling river water was insufficient or too hot, during another extremely hot summer. Recommended
We are rightly being told not to use hosepipes or leave our taps running, but what is missing from the debate on protecting our drinking water and wildlife is the consumption of water by our coal, gas and nuclear power stations. The production of energy takes up 44 per cent of all our water usage across Europe, more than double what goes into our public water supply. While the main water consumption at Sizewell C would be seawater, just building the reactors would take up to 12.75 billion litres of fresh water (3.5 million per day for a 10-year building period) and then 7.3 billion more for the first 10 years of operation – 2 million litres per day. The Johnson / Truss government has promised to build eight nuclear plants, this would require up to 80 billion litres of water for building and operating them for 10 years. These are staggering amounts of water we increasingly don’t have. When I asked Kwasi Kwarteng’s department where this water would come from, they did not answer the question, but said: “Nuclear power stations must meet robust standards which are overseen by independent regulators such as the Office for Nuclear Regulation and the Environment Agency.” With our rivers already full of sewage and suffering over-extraction – due to the collapse in the Environment Agency’s capacity to oversee standards since the Tory government decimated its funding – this statement insults the public’s intelligence. If these expensive nuclear plants get built, they will be operational by the late 2040s, by which time Britain will be receiving 15% less rainfall, according to the Environment Agency. Since there is not sufficient local mains water to supply the building of Sizewell C, which the planning inspector accepted, the suggestions are to use either a fleet of water tankers, a water pipeline from the river Waveney, or to build a temporary desalination plant. To keep up to speed with all the latest opinions and comment, sign up to our free weekly Voices Dispatches newsletter by clicking here Except, as I write, sections of the Waveney river are literally dry during the drought. And the Environment Agency believes that water extraction from the Waveney already needs to be reduced by 60 per cent to protect the river’s wildlife. It is clear to me that only a government captured by the nuclear industry would give the go-ahead for such a fleet of water-guzzling energy plants, especially in the middle of a water crisis. (That said, neither the Lib Dems or Labour were much better on this issue). Clean energy power and storage have negligible water footprints in comparison and produce far cheaper electricity. Recommended
As water supplies get increasingly stressed, they will increasingly be needed to keep our crops and wildlife alive. The good news is that the public overwhelmingly backs renewables way more than nuclear energy. The bad news is that the right-wing press barons anointing Liz Truss as the next prime minister are also cheerleaders for the corporate nuclear lobby. In this battle, the people must win. 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More aboutKwasi KwartengSizewell CNuclear EnergyJoin our new commenting forumJoin thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies Comments1/1Why don’t we talk about how much water nuclear power plants use?Why don’t we talk about how much water nuclear power plants use?The Tory Energy Secretary has authorised the consumption of more than 20 billion litres of water by a new nuclear plant PA ✕ Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this articleWant to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today. Subscribe Already subscribed? Log in Most PopularPopular videosSponsored FeaturesVoucher Codes Very Discount Code Save up to 30% in the Very big electrical deal eventQVC discount code £5 off all orders over £40 with this QVC discount codeBooking.com Promo Code Up to 20% off and extra perks with Booking.com Genius membershipAliexpress Promo Code Receive $5 off a $20+ order with this AliExpress discount codeeBay Discount Code 15% off selected items using this eBay discount codeIndy / Compare Compare UK Broadband DealsCompare broadband packages side by side to find the best deal for you Cheap Broadband Deals in 2022Compare cheap broadband deals from providers with fastest speed in your area Fibre Broadband Deals December 2022All you need to know about fibre broadband Best Apple iPhone Deals in the UK December 2022Compare iPhone contract deals and get the best offer this December How much water does a nuclear power plant use per year?Water in nuclear power plants
The Nuclear Energy Institute estimates that one nuclear reactor requires between 1,514L and 2,725L litres of water per MWh. It equates to billions of gallons of water per year, and all this water requires filtering somehow.
Why do nuclear power plants use so much water?The most common types of nuclear power plants use water for cooling in two ways: To convey heat from the reactor core to the steam turbines. To remove and dump surplus heat from this steam circuit.
How many gallons of water does a nuclear plant use every minute?11. How many gallons of water does the plant use every minute? 365,000 gallons a minute 12. What else did you learn that you found interesting?
Does a nuclear power station use water?All commercial nuclear reactors in the United States are light-water reactors. This means they use normal water as both a coolant and neutron moderator. There are two types of light-water reactors operating in America.
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How much water do nuclear power plants use
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