PEAKER POWER PLANTS AND WATER RESOURCES - AN ILLINOIS PERSPECTIVE

Illinois, where a phased electricity deregulation plan is in place, is experiencing significant growth in electric generating capacity. This growth has largely been in the form of natural gas-fired simple-cycle and combined-cycle turbines. At the end of 1998, Illinois had a total of 32,493 MW of utility and nonutility installed electric generating capacity. Between 1999 and November 2001, 21 simple-cycle facilities totaling 8,183 MW and 5 combined-cycle facilities totaling 3,090 MW began operation or were being built. This represents a one-third increase in generating capacity in Illinois. Sixteen more facilities of both types totaling 6,477 MW of capacity are permitted for air emissions and 10 others totaling 7,126 MW are in emissions review. If just half of the latter 26 facilities are put into operation, Illinois will see a 55 percent increase in generating capacity over 1998 levels with a concurrent increase in water demand for these plants.

Water demand for simple cycle plants typically is in the thousands of gpd range. Water demand for combined cycle plants can exceed 1 mgd. Most peaker plants in Illinois are in the Chicago region. The second largest group is distributed across 16 counties in the south half of the state. Both of these regions in Illinois are characterized by limits on the availability of water resources. In the Chicago region, water demands due to growth are approaching the maximum development the resource can sustain. In the south half of Illinois, surface water is limited mostly to moderately sized steams, except for the large border rivers. Groundwater is limited by a hydrogeological setting dominated by bedrock aquifers.

The effects of peaker plant water demands on water resources relate to quantity of water involved, the availability of either groundwater or surface-water resources, and groundwater/surface-water interactions. Because these water resources are used to meet the demands for water for domestic, municipal, commercial, agriculture, and industrial uses, the impacts of water demands for peaker plant operation should be evaluated on a regional context within the state. In 2000 Governor Ryan established a Water Resources Advisory Committee to consider these issues and suggest legislation to address them. Because consensus about legislation proved elusive, the Committee is disbanding.