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2025 Utah Code
Title 73 - Water and Irrigation
Chapter 2 - State Engineer - Division of Water Rights
Section 1.7 - Water for power study.
Universal Citation:
UT Code § 73-2-1.7 (2025)
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Effective 5/4/2022
73-2-1.7. Water for power study.
Enacted by Chapter 75, 2022 General Session
73-2-1.7. Water for power study.
- (1) As used in this section:
- (a) "Coal gasification" means the process of using a gasifier to convert coal into synthesis gas which can then be converted to hydrogen.
- (b) "Electrolysis" means the process of using electricity to split water into hydrogen and oxygen.
- (c) "Steam methane reforming" means the process of chemical synthesis to use a catalyst to produce hydrogen from methane derived from natural gas.
- (d) "Water cycle" means the biogeochemical cycle that describes the continuous movement of water on, above, and below the surface of the earth.
- (2) The state engineer shall commission a study to determine the quantitative impacts to the state's water cycle from:
- (a) electrolysis;
- (b) the generation of electricity by burning as fuel hydrogen resulting from electrolysis; and
- (c) the generation of electricity by burning as fuel a blend of natural gas and hydrogen.
- (3) The study shall compare the quantitative impacts to the water cycle to generating electricity by:
- (a) burning coal;
- (b) burning natural gas;
- (c) solar energy;
- (d) wind energy;
- (e) burning a combination of hydrogen and natural gas; and
- (f) burning hydrogen produced from:
- (i) electrolysis;
- (ii) coal gasification; and
- (iii) steam methane reforming.
- (4) The impacts quantified in Subsections (3)(e) and (f) shall include the quantitative impacts to the water cycle of:
- (a) burning the hydrogen; and
- (b) producing the hydrogen from fuel through:
- (i) electrolysis;
- (ii) coal gasification; and
- (iii) steam methane reforming.
- (5) The study described in Subsection (3) shall describe factors that influence the findings described in Subsection (3), including efficiency of the power.
- (6) The state engineer shall report the findings of the study described in Subsection (3) to the Public Utilities, Energy, and Technology Interim Committee and to the Legislative Water Development Commission on or before November 1, 2022.
Enacted by Chapter 75, 2022 General Session
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