Texas thermal power plants are consuming an enormous amount of water, putting the state's dwindling supplies at risk. A new report by the Sierra Club calls on state regulators to scrutinize the energy sector's outsized draw on water to cool coal, natural gas and nuclear power plants across the state.

The report arrives as Texas grapples with drought conditions affecting 75% of the state.

Sierra Club senior energy analyst Noah Ver Beek said the power grid is drawing down the state's water reserves.

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"Texas coal plants consumed about 34 billion gallons," he said. "Plants running on gas consumed another 56 billion gallons, and then the state's two nuclear plants consumed another 26 billion gallons, which means that the total water consumed by thermal plants in Texas was 100 billion gallons in 2024.

By contrast, Van Beek said, wind, solar and battery storage consume negligible amounts of water.

The report urges the Public Utility Commission, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and Texas Water Development Board to assess thermal plant water use and reform how unused water rights are managed. It calls on state regulators to change the way the energy sector uses the state's water, and to incentivize a switch to renewable sources, such as wind, solar and battery power.

Lindsay Mater, deputy press secretary for the Sierra Club, noted that coal plants alone hold state-granted rights to consume up to 116 billion gallons annually.

"The state of Texas bestows these water rights to coal plant owners for free," she said. "The state, especially in the '70s and '80s, saw power plants as providing a public benefit and being good for the economy. Now we have other options, including solar, wind, and battery storage."

Under current law, Mater said, plant owners face no obligation to return the rights upon closure and may sell them to private parties for millions of dollars.