Texas coal and gas power plants consumed more than 100 billion gallons of water in 2024, according to a new Sierra Club report that calls on state leaders to accelerate the shift to renewable energy amid worsening drought conditions.
The report, "Watts Wasting Texas Water," found that coal plants alone used 34 billion gallons of water that year — enough to supply roughly 1 million homes annually, or a city twice the size of Austin. Combined with gas and nuclear plants, total consumption has exceeded 100 billion gallons every year since at least 2015, the report said.
Coal and gas plants burn fuel to boil water into steam, which spins turbines to generate electricity. The steam is then cooled and condensed, a process that causes large amounts of water to evaporate. Coal plants in Texas consume up to 672 gallons of water per megawatt-hour of electricity produced, compared with an estimated 6 gallons per megawatt-hour for solar. Wind and solar farms generate electricity without steam or cooling systems, using little to no water.
Advertisement Advertisement
The Sierra Club found Texas coal plants hold legal rights to consume 116 billion gallons of water annually from the state's rivers, creeks and aquifers. Seven coal plants alone have rights to store 98 billion gallons in private reservoirs.
"And even though they got these rights for free, they can sell them for millions of dollars when they're done with them. There is currently nothing in place to require them to return the rights to the state," said Lindsay Mader, report author and Secretary of the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club.
The Fayette Power Plant is one example that affects Central Texas. It’s co-owned by the City of Austin and the Lower Colorado River Authority (LCRA) located in Fayette County — which is currently experiencing extreme drought. The two entities hold rights to draw more than 31 billion gallons annually from the Colorado River for that plant alone.
“Wealthy utilities and power plants in Texas have long profited from the significant water rights our state government gave to them for free, but it’s past time to stop giving coal and gas everything they want,” said Cyrus Reed, the Legislative Director for the Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club. “In a state facing a substantial water crisis, these operations should seriously consider transitioning to renewables and battery storage, which use barely any water. The moment has arrived for our Legislature and state agencies to chart this path and stop prioritizing coal, gas, and data centers and allow underutilized water rights to serve the needs of people and the environment.”
Advertisement Advertisement
The findings come as Texas faces mounting water scarcity. The draft 2027 Texas State Water Plan projects the state could face a shortage of 1.2 trillion gallons as soon as 2030.
“Texans everywhere are worried about water, yet some of our decision-makers seem to think we can spend our way out of a crisis,” said Mader. “It’s mind-boggling that we might be drinking treated wastewater or funding billion-dollar desalination plants while these dirty energy generators keep guzzling precious H2O despite renewables barely using a drop. The future of Texas will require innovative solutions, and our energy system is an area with potentially massive savings.”
The report, which analyzed data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration, calls for retiring coal plants, transferring large water rights into public trust and incorporating renewable energy into state water planning. The Sierra Club noted that none of the regional water plans it reviewed mentioned solar, wind or battery storage.
The Texas Water Development Board is accepting public comment on its draft 2027 State Water Plan through May 29th.
Advertisement Advertisement
There were 13 coal plants in Texas in 2024. There are now 12 after the Harrington plant in the Panhandle converted to gas.
KVUE has reached out to the LCRA and TWDB for comment. An LCRA spokesperson said, "The Fayette Power Project meets all applicable environmental state and federal rules and regulations. LCRA intends to continue operating FPP as long as it provides reliable, cost-effective power." We will update this story when we hear back from the Texas Water Development Board.