Water – Energy Nexus, Problems and Prospects for the UK

Globally, water and energy have been treated autonomously by numerous authors either due to the complex challenges associated with assessing both in concert or given their discrete economic roles. However, contemporary issues of phenomenal climate variability, sustainability, industrialization, population growth and security of supply, present a dire need for an integrated approach to policy formulation and design of waterenergy systems in the UK. Water is a key resource in most sources of energy generation including hydro, thermal and nuclear; in turn, great and growing measure of energy is required to operate and maintain water treatment and distribution facilities. This inextricable but intricate link between water and energy clearly presents both problems and prospects for assessment. From the study, both sectors heavily rely on each other, as the output of one is the input of the other. Albeit, greater concern is raised in the trend of water sector energy use which is consistently increasing subsequent to the implementation of strict regulatory water regimes that have necessitated the use of more advanced but energy-intensive water and wastewater treatment facilities. It is believed that this assessment of water and energy resources in tandem will help improve on the design and operation of water-energy systems, enhance the sustainability credential of the undertakings and create more secure integrated services in UK.