Light-water reactors (LWRs) like those at Fukushima, which use water as a primary coolant, produce most of the world’s nuclear power. The huge quantities of local water that LWRs consume for their operations become hot-water outflows, which are pumped back into rivers, lakes, and oceans.
所有能源发电装置，包括煤和燃气发电机组都是用水大户，但核电站的需求尤其巨大。像福岛这样使用水作冷却剂的轻水式反应堆又占了全球核年发电量的大部分，而它们消耗的大量当地水资源最终会变成热水并再度被排放回河流，湖泊和海洋。