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04 Jun 2012: Power Plant Production Drops
As Waters Warm and River Flows Decline

Rising water temperatures and a reduction in river flows have caused declining production at some thermoelectric power plants in the U.S. and Europe, a trend that will likely continue for decades to come as the planet warms, according to a new study. Writing in the journal Nature Climate Change, researchers estimate that the generating capacity at U.S. nuclear and coal-fired plants — which rely on consistent volumes of water flow at particular temperatures to cool overheated turbines — will fall 4 to 16 percent from 2031 to 2060 as a consequence of climate change. In Europe, scientists predict, production will drop 6 to 19 percent due to a lack of cooling water. According to the study, “extreme” drops in power generation caused by near or total plant shutdowns will triple during that time period. In the U.S., thermoelectric plants account for more than 90 percent of electricity generation. “This study suggests that our reliance on thermal cooling is something that we’re going to have to revisit,” said Dennis Lettenmaier, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Washington and co-author of the study.

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