Nuclear, like coal, steam gas, and other thermal power stations, uses water to dissipate heat. Withdrawals and consumption vary greatly between once-through cooling, evaporative towers, dry cooling, sea, or river. NREL shows that the determining factor is often the type of cooling rather than the fuel. Wind and photovoltaic consume much less water in operation.
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34.
Does a nuclear power plant use too much water?
Partially true: it depends on the cooling system.
