AUSTIN, Texas —
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…