Energy: our power craves water

In brief

The article argues that energy and water are inseparably linked, and that the transition to cleaner energy cannot be understood properly without reckoning with water use. Nidhal Attia explains that producing energy often requires huge volumes of water, especially for cooling thermal and nuclear power plants, while water systems themselves depend heavily on energy for pumping, treatment, desalination, and transport. The piece notes that global water withdrawals for electricity and fuel production reached about 370 billion cubic metres in 2021 and could rise to 400 billion cubic metres by 2030, with fossil-fuel and nuclear systems accounting for most of this demand. Against that backdrop, the article presents renewable energy as a major advantage not only for emissions reduction but also for water conservation, arguing that wind and solar use far less water than conventional energy sources and could therefore ease pressure on overstretched freshwater systems.

At the same time, the article warns that the clean-energy transition is not automatically water-light. It points to mining for critical minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, and copper—often in already water-scarce regions—as a serious environmental and social challenge, noting that more than half of global lithium reserves are located in water-stressed areas. It also questions the water footprint of technologies often presented as green solutions, including hydrogen, which requires substantial water for electrolysis, and carbon capture and storage, which could significantly increase humanity’s overall water demand. Desalination is discussed as another imperfect response because it is costly, energy-intensive, and produces large volumes of brine waste. The article’s overall conclusion is that climate policy and energy planning must integrate water efficiency, recycling, and lower-demand pathways, because a sustainable energy future will depend not just on decarbonisation, but on using limited water resources much more carefully.

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Source: https://energytransition.org/2026/01/energy-our-power-craves-water/