Water use of the UK thermal electricity generation fleet by 2050: Part 1 identifying the problem

While the water demands were heavily pathway dependent this study finds for the thermal generation pathways there is a serious mismatch between the assumed freshwater available at 2030 and 2050, its expected actual availability, and an understanding of the implications this has for future generation costs. It is shown that a solution is to make greater use of the UK's seawater resource. This study finds the emphasis UK energy policy gives to the competing poles of low cost electricity generation and environmental protection will have significant impacts on the cost and make-up of the UK's future electricity generation portfolio. A companion paper will consider the generation cost issues if seawater is not available.