In a significant move, APS has announced its intentions to transition the Cholla coal facility to natural gas by 2029. While the utility company emphasizes that this shift will result in lower emissions, it also notes that water usage is expected to remain consistent.
Natural gas is often praised for its reduced water consumption compared to coal plants. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, water use for natural gas is, on average, about seven times less than that of coal.
However, a filing with the Arizona Corporation Commission reveals APS’s plan to maintain steam generation and cooling processes from the plant’s coal operations. As a result, the facility is anticipated to draw approximately 6,600 acre-feet, or roughly 2.2 billion gallons, of groundwater annually. This is a decrease from the nearly 3 billion gallons consumed by Cholla in 2020, as reported in 2020 data.
