About UsStaffPartners & FundersCareersDonate
Simulators & Science
En-ROADSC-ROADSResearch & Insights
Ambassador Program
About the ProgramBecome an AmbassadorMeet our Ambassadors
Experiences
En-ROADS Climate WorkshopClimate Action Simulation GameWorld Climate Simulation GameEn-ROADS Guided AssignmentJoin an Event
Other Programs
MultisolvingSystems ThinkingClimate AnalysisFood Systems
Trainings
En-ROADS TrainingC-ROADS TrainingSystems Thinking Training
Events
Event & Webinar ScheduleContact an AmbassadorRun an Event YourselfRegister Your Event
NewsVideosPress
Frequently Asked QuestionsEn-ROADS ResourcesC-ROADS ResourcesContact Us

The Thirsty Energy Initiative Tackles Water-Energy Nexus

By Shanna Edberg
December 15, 2015

mslv water energy miniHundreds of millions of people do not have access to clean water or energy or both, and demand for these resources is growing around the world. The World Bank’s Thirsty Energy Initiative is a program to help countries address these challenges by quantifying the trade-offs between energy production and water use, facilitating cross-sectoral planning, designing resource management tools and capacity building. For example, Project Tenorio in Mexico has a power plant purchasing water from a wastewater treatment plant to use for cooling, rather than using fresh water. This project has given the power plant a more reliable and affordable water supply while funding the wastewater plant, and has resulted in a reduction of groundwater extraction of at least 48 million cubic meters.

Climate Protection: Reduces carbon emissions by increasing efficiency and reducing waste in energy and water systems Energy & Mobility: Increases energy supply and reduces the risk of energy shortages caused by lack of water Resilience: Improves sustainability of aquifers Food & Water: Increases freshwater availability and provides a more secure energy and water supply for agriculture Jobs & Assets: Saves money lost in inefficient systems and secures energy supply for commerce

This post is part of a series on examples of ​multisolving​, or climate-smart policies that simultaneously work to mitigate climate change while providing co-benefits such as the ones described above. The multiple benefits analysis was done using the ​FLOWER framework​.