Dr. Conca reports that the only power facility in California that does not use any of the state precious fresh water is the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County. And it can even produce additional freshwater for the nearby community.
The nuclear plant desalinates ocean water using reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration. The nuclear plant depends on the desalination plant as its sole source of fresh water, used for the plants two nuclear reactors as well as all other water needs such as drinking water for its employees and irrigation of its grounds.
Although a relatively small plant, Diablo Canyon seawater desalination plant is presently the largest operating desalination facility on the West Coast, producing about 675,000 gallons of freshwater a day.
But the desalination facility is not running at maximum capacity. It can actually produce a million and a half gallons of fresh water a day, and can ramp up right now, with very little upgrade and additional costs.
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