Water Usage in Thermal Power Plants Meager 

Iran has more than 120 thermal power plants that account for about 0.1% of total annual water consumption, the head the Thermal Power Plant Holding Company said.
"Iran's annual water consumption [extracted from ground and surface resources] tops 100 billion cubic meters, of which less than 130 million cubic meters are used in power plants annually, which is insignificant compared to the farming sector that gobbles up 90 bcm of water per year," the ministry's news portal Paven also quoted Abdolrasoul Pishahang as saying.
Of the total volume of water used in Iran, 2 bcm are used in industries, including petrochem plants, steel mills and power stations, he added, noting that as per the directive issued by the Energy Ministry in 2020, it is mandatory for all thermal power plants to use reclaimed wastewater [instead of potable water] in cooling towers.