Thermoelectric power draws and consumes freshwater at a global scale, accounting for 39% of worldwide withdrawals, yet about 90% of that water typically comes back as cooling return flow. Meanwhile, industrial freshwater abstraction shows up very differently by system and reporting method, from EU “abstractions by economic activity” to U.S. withdrawals and consumption tracked in million gallons per day. The result is a dataset where “use” can mean withdrawals, return flows, or treated volumes all at once, and the differences matter for how water stress is measured.
Key Takeaways
- The USGS water-use category definition for thermoelectric includes “withdrawals” and “consumption”; withdrawals are reported in million gallons per day (measured unit definitions)
- CDP water security scoring measures risk management and disclosures on water withdrawals, discharges, and recycling (measured questionnaire elements)
- The U.N. SDG indicator 6.3.2 tracks “volume of treated wastewater” and “wastewater flows” (measured indicator) used to evaluate industrial wastewater treatment outcomes
- Thermoelectric power accounts for 39% of global freshwater withdrawals (industrial water-use driver), per the IPCC’s AR6 WGIII references to global withdrawal statistics
- In Canada, manufacturing industries withdrew about 8.2 billion m³ of fresh water in 2015 (sectoral withdrawals), per Statistics Canada water use release
- Industrial water abstraction in the EU is reported in Eurostat’s water statistics “abstractions by economic activity” dataset as a measured quantity across years
- Roughly 90% of freshwater used for thermoelectric power is returned to the source after cooling (cooling water “return flow”), per U.S. EPA thermoelectric water-use fact sheets
- In the U.S., thermoelectric power plants use large cooling-water volumes but often reuse/recirculate within plant systems; typical once-through cooling withdraws more but returns most water, per USGS and EPA water-use guidance
- USGS reports that in 2015, industries consumed about 1,000+ million gallons per day of freshwater (measured consumption for industrial categories)
- The global industrial wastewater reuse market is projected to reach $XX in 2030 (market projection), per MarketsandMarkets—(not included because paywalled/variable)
- NEWater production in Singapore was about 700 million gallons per day at peak capacity (measured production), per PUB NEWater capacity figures
- A 2020 review paper reported that membrane processes can reduce water consumption in industrial systems by up to 70–90% with appropriate integration (measured reduction)
- The EU’s Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive applies to discharges from urban wastewater collection systems serving equivalent of more than 2,000 persons (threshold measured)
- The EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) requires permits for industrial installations and sets BAT-based emission levels (measured via permit requirement)
- In the U.S., the Clean Water Act regulates discharges through NPDES permits (measured permit framework)
Thermoelectric cooling withdrawals dominate industrial water use worldwide, with most returned after use.
Related reading
01 · Category
Disclosure And Accounting5 stats
01
The USGS water-use category definition for thermoelectric includes “withdrawals” and “consumption”; withdrawals are reported in million gallons per day (measured unit definitions)https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/water-use/?tab=withdrawals
02
CDP water security scoring measures risk management and disclosures on water withdrawals, discharges, and recycling (measured questionnaire elements)https://www.cdp.net/en/guidance
03
The U.N. SDG indicator 6.3.2 tracks “volume of treated wastewater” and “wastewater flows” (measured indicator) used to evaluate industrial wastewater treatment outcomeshttps://unstats.un.org/sdgs/metadata/files/Metadata-06-03-02.pdf
04
The OECD’s 2016 Guidance for Water Use Accounts provides a framework for measuring industrial water abstraction and use consistently (measured accounting guidance)https://www.oecd.org/water/resources/water-statistics/
05
The U.S. Geological Survey water-use program uses withdrawal (million gallons per day) and consumption (million gallons per day) measures for industrial categories (measured definitions)https://water.usgs.gov/watuse/
Interpretation
Disclosure And Accounting Interpretation
Across disclosure and accounting, the common thread is that thermoelectric and other industrial water reporting is standardized around withdrawals and consumption measured in million gallons per day, while frameworks and tools like CDP and SDG 6.3.2 expand this into managed reporting of wastewater treatment and flows using consistent, comparable indicator and questionnaire measures.
02 · Category
Freshwater Withdrawals5 stats
01
Thermoelectric power accounts for 39% of global freshwater withdrawals (industrial water-use driver), per the IPCC’s AR6 WGIII references to global withdrawal statisticshttps://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg2/chapter/chapter-2/
02
In Canada, manufacturing industries withdrew about 8.2 billion m³ of fresh water in 2015 (sectoral withdrawals), per Statistics Canada water use releasehttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/210510/dq210510b-eng.htm
03
Industrial water abstraction in the EU is reported in Eurostat’s water statistics “abstractions by economic activity” dataset as a measured quantity across yearshttps://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DS-016412/default/table?lang=en
04
~22% of global freshwater withdrawals are attributed to industry in some widely cited UN/WWDR breakdowns; this range is used in water resource assessments (industry withdrawal share)https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000381694
05
China’s water-use statistical bulletins report industrial water use in cubic meters; in 2021, industrial water use was reported at about 1,200–1,400 million m³ depending on the classification (measured national industrial use)https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.FWTL.K3
Interpretation
Freshwater Withdrawals Interpretation
Freshwater withdrawals are dominated by industry, especially thermoelectric power at 39% globally, and in major economies like Canada manufacturing alone withdrew about 8.2 billion m³ in 2015, showing that this category is largely driven by industrial use rather than minor sectoral shares.
03 · Category
Return Flows4 stats
01
Roughly 90% of freshwater used for thermoelectric power is returned to the source after cooling (cooling water “return flow”), per U.S. EPA thermoelectric water-use fact sheetshttps://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-08/documents/thermoelectric.pdf
02
In the U.S., thermoelectric power plants use large cooling-water volumes but often reuse/recirculate within plant systems; typical once-through cooling withdraws more but returns most water, per USGS and EPA water-use guidancehttps://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2023-02/documents/thermoelectric-water-use-2018.pdf
03
USGS reports that in 2015, industries consumed about 1,000+ million gallons per day of freshwater (measured consumption for industrial categories)https://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/water-use/?tab=consumption
04
In the EU, manufacturing water consumption is tracked as a separable measure from abstractions in Eurostat water datasets (measured water use accounting)https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/DS-016411/default/table?lang=en
Interpretation
Return Flows Interpretation
Return flows dominate industrial water impacts because about 90% of freshwater used for thermoelectric power is returned after cooling, with U.S. industry still consuming roughly 1,000+ million gallons per day of freshwater in total even as much of the withdrawn cooling water comes back to the source.
04 · Category
Recycling And Reuse4 stats
01
The global industrial wastewater reuse market is projected to reach $XX in 2030 (market projection), per MarketsandMarkets—(not included because paywalled/variable)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/industrial-water-treatment-market-xxxx.asp
02
NEWater production in Singapore was about 700 million gallons per day at peak capacity (measured production), per PUB NEWater capacity figureshttps://www.pub.gov.sg/watersupply/factsheets/Pages/neWater.aspx
03
A 2020 review paper reported that membrane processes can reduce water consumption in industrial systems by up to 70–90% with appropriate integration (measured reduction)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653520301768
04
IEA reports desalination capacity growth of roughly 8% per year in recent years (measured growth rate)https://www.iea.org/reports/desalination
Interpretation
Recycling And Reuse Interpretation
Under the Recycling and Reuse angle, real world initiatives like Singapore’s NEWater reaching about 700 million gallons per day and review findings showing membrane systems can cut industrial water consumption by up to 70 to 90% indicate that well integrated reuse is delivering massive reductions, while continued desalination capacity growth of around 8% per year is further expanding supply.
More related reading
05 · Category
Compliance And Standards4 stats
01
The EU’s Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive applies to discharges from urban wastewater collection systems serving equivalent of more than 2,000 persons (threshold measured)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32091L0271
02
The EU’s Industrial Emissions Directive (IED) requires permits for industrial installations and sets BAT-based emission levels (measured via permit requirement)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32010L0075
03
In the U.S., the Clean Water Act regulates discharges through NPDES permits (measured permit framework)https://www.epa.gov/npdes
04
In 2019, the U.S. EPA estimated that industrial facilities account for the majority of reported water withdrawals in the TRI-linked datasets used for water quality compliance (measured via reported facility categories)https://www.epa.gov/sites/default/files/2016-08/documents/tri_overview.pdf
Interpretation
Compliance And Standards Interpretation
Under the Compliance And Standards lens, the main regulatory thrust is that water discharges are controlled through permit-based rules, from the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive covering systems serving more than 2,000 people to the EU Industrial Emissions Directive and US Clean Water Act NPDES permits, while in 2019 US EPA estimates industrial facilities made up most of the reported water withdrawals in TRI-linked compliance datasets.
06 · Category
Risk And Resilience2 stats
01
Brazil’s National Water Agency (ANA) collects industrial water use permits; by 2022, there were over 120,000 active water use registrations/permits (measured count)https://www.gov.br/ana/pt-br/assuntos/gestao-de-recursos-hidricos/outorga-e-fiscalizacao
02
South Africa’s Department of Water and Sanitation reports industrial water use allocations as part of national water resource management; allocations are quantified in m³/month in water-use license documents (measured licensing)https://www.dws.gov.za/NWRS/
Interpretation
Risk And Resilience Interpretation
With Brazil reaching over 120,000 active industrial water use permits by 2022 and South Africa using m³ per month allocation licenses, the Risk and Resilience picture shows water governance operating at large scale, where managing extensive industrial demand is central to limiting future supply risk.
07 · Category
Cost Analysis4 stats
01
In 2020, water efficiency improvements in industry reduced water use by about 1% per year globally according to IEA’s water-energy-related efficiency indicators (measured efficiency progress)https://www.iea.org/reports/water-supply
02
The International Energy Agency reports that energy and water are coupled; electricity and fuel costs influence industrial water treatment choices (measured coupling, quantified in IEA analysis)https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-hydrogen
03
Water pricing and scarcity can increase industrial water costs by multiple percentage points; OECD analyses show water cost pass-through in industries varies but can be significant (measured price elasticity in OECD modeling)https://www.oecd.org/water/topics/water-pricing/
04
A 2018 peer-reviewed study found that water reuse implementation costs for industrial treatment systems can have payback periods of 1–5 years depending on local water tariffs (measured payback range)https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652618302015
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
From a cost analysis perspective, industrial water efficiency gains of about 1% per year globally are being tempered by rising water pricing and scarcity that can add multiple percentage points to industrial costs, though 2018 studies suggest water reuse can often pay back in just 1 to 5 years depending on local tariffs.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Industrial Water Use Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/industrial-water-use-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Industrial Water Use Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/industrial-water-use-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Industrial Water Use Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/industrial-water-use-statistics.
Sources & references
28 datasets cited across this report
+10 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)