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Water and Energy

Thirsty Energy: Securing Energy in a
Water-Constrained World

The Energy-Water Challenge

S

ignificant amounts of water are needed in almost
all energy generation processes, from generating
hydropower, to cooling and other purposes in thermal
power plants, to extract¬ing and processing fuels.
Conversely, the water sector needs energy to extract, treat
and transport water. Both energy and water are used in
the production of crops, including those used to generate
energy through biofu¬els. Population growth and rapidlyexpand¬ing economies place additional demands on
water and energy, while several regions around the world
are already experiencing significant water and energy
shortages.
Today, more than 780 million people lack access to
potable water, and over 1.3 billion people lack access to
electricity. At the same time, estimates show that by 2035,
global energy consumption will increase by 35%, while
water consumption by the energy sec¬tor will increase
by 85%. Climate change will further challenge water and
energy manage¬ment by causing more water variability
and intensified weather events, such as severe floods and
droughts.
These interdependencies complicate possible solutions
and make a compelling case to expeditiously improve
integrated water and energy planning in order to avoid
unwanted future scenarios.

Will water constrain our energy future?
While a global water crisis could take place in the future,
the energy challenge is present. Water constraints have
already adversely impacted the energy sector in many parts
of the world. In the U.S., several power plants have been
affected by low water flows or high water temperatures.
In India, a thermal power plant recently had to shut down

due to a severe water shortage. France has been forced
to reduce or halt energy production in nuclear power
plants due to high water temperatures threatening cooling
processes during heatwaves. Recurring and prolonged
droughts are threatening hydropower capac¬ity in many
countries, such as Sri Lanka, China and Brazil.
Despite these concerns, current energy plan¬ning and
production is often made without taking into account
existing and future water constraints. Planners and
decision-makers in both sectors often remain ill-informed
about the drivers of these challenges, how to ad¬dress
them, and the merits of different tech¬nical, political,
management, and governance options. The absence of
integrated planning between these two sectors is socioeconomi¬cally unsustainable.

What is Thirsty Energy?
To support countries’ efforts to address chal¬lenges in
energy and water management proactively, the World
Bank has embarked on a global initiative: thirsty energy.
Thirsty Energy aims to help governments prepare for
an uncertain future, and break disciplinary silos that
prevent cross-sectoral planning. With the energy sector
as an entry point, thirsty energy quantifies tradeoffs and
identi¬fies synergies between water and energy resource
management.
Thirsty energy demonstrates the importance of combined
energy and water management approaches through
demand-based work in several countries, thus providing
examples of how evidence-based operational tools
in resource management can enhance sustain¬able
development. This created knowledge will be shared more
broadly with other coun¬tries facing similar challenges.
Thirsty Energy tailors approaches depending on
the available resources, modeling experi¬ence, and
Africa Water, Sanitation & Hygiene • March - April 2014

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