Triangle Business Journal: Drought could force shutdown of nuclear, coal plants: North Carolina’s electric utilities, among the largest water customers in the state, are dusting off contingency plans to manage their power plants if lake levels continue to drop due to the ongoing drought – plans that could lead to higher costs for consumers.
Similar story in Georgia. Atlanta Business Chronicle: Drought hits hydropower: Because of the drought, hydroelectric power generation is down 51 percent for Georgia Power Co. this year, the company says. While water accounts for a small percentage of the power generated for Georgia Power’s 2 million customers, the drought has forced the company to buy $33.3 million in coal and oil to replace the lost hydropower.