Water precarity or scarcity is exacerbated by the effect of climate change on rainfall patterns. In Ghana, for example, this has affected the reliability of hydropower resources with a resulting shortfall in electricity supply (IBRD, 2010).

The use of coal plant requires large quantities of water, which may affect its availability for other needs, and additionally creates downstream pollution. The water component in energy planning has become increasingly important in this perspective, with more stringent requirements for water usage being put in place when funding and planning for large plants is done. An example is the Medupi coal plant in South Africa, discussed in Section 20.5.4. Some SMR designs are air-cooled, obviating the need for a great deal of water usage for electrical power production. This would greatly expand the range of suitable sites.

In addition, the desalination capability of SMRs could provide water for desert or polar sites. Indeed, as after the Haiti earthquake of 2010, SMR desalination could be applied temporarily in disaster situations where sites are accessible to the sea and nuclear vessels like the USS Carl Vinson could share their excess distilled water (Padgett, 2010).