The Hoover dam
US drought hits hydropower production
Rising natural gas demand could provide sustained hit to state decarbonisation plans
A drought in California is reducing hydropower production and forcing the state to rely more heavily on natural gas, in turn increasing emissions. California typically relies on hydropower for 10-20pc of its in-state electricity demand. That level fell below 8pc between 2012 and 2016 due to droughts. This year, hydropower has fallen to meet less than 4pc of state electricity demand during the first quarter, according to EIA data. Rising temperatures will actually mean higher average rainfall globally, explains Peter Gleick, founder of the Pacific Institute, a water resources thinktank in Oakland, California. 4pc – Californian power demand met by hydro in first quarter “But none of us
Also in this section
22 July 2025
Sinopec hosts launch of global sharing platform as Beijing looks to draw on international investors and expertise
22 July 2025
Africa’s most populous nation puts cap-and-trade and voluntary markets at the centre of its emerging strategy to achieve net zero by 2060
17 July 2025
Oil and gas companies will face penalties if they fail to reach the EU’s binding CO₂ injection targets for 2030, but they could also risk building underused and unprofitable CCS infrastructure
9 July 2025
Latin American country plans a cap-and-trade system and supports the scale-up of CCS as it prepares to host COP30
