Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) of thermoelectric plants frequently focus on impacts related to fuel and water consumption. The purpose of this research was to determine the environmental impact of the chemicals used for water conditioning in a Combined-Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) plant in Mexico. An LCA of the electricity generation process was carried out using the SimaPro software with the ReCiPe method, which includes 18 midpoint environmental impact categories. The process was broken down into stages, which were analyzed separately. To complete the study, an analysis of the fuel cycle and the materials used for maintenance works were included. Results showed that the most affected impact categories were water depletion (9.77 × 10−1 m3/MWh), due mainly to the high volume of water consumption in the cooling systems and the reverse osmosis process; freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecotoxicity (1.59 × 10−2 kg 1,4 -DB eq/MWh), and human toxicity (1.1 × 10−1 kg 1,4-DB eq/MWh)—due to the production and consumption of the chemicals used. One such chemical is hydrazine, which is a highly toxic compound to humans and other living organisms. It is worth mentioning that traces of some chemicals in wastewater discharges could be considered as emerging pollutants because of their potential health hazards, which have not been reported yet.

D iv is ió n de E s t u d io s de P o sg r a d o F a c u l t a d de In g e n ie r ía , U N A M E -m a il: te sg le o n @ a o l.c o m (recibido: abril de 2002; aceptado: septiembre de 2002) ResumenMéxico tiene un importante potencial de cogeneración industrial que no ha sido evaluado ni proyectado dentro de su crecimiento histórico, por ello, el objetivo de este trabajo consiste en estudiar y conocer los ahorros económicos y ambientales que se podrían lograr si se aprovechara dicho potencial. Como resultado, se muestra que la cogeneración en México ofrece un potencial teórico medio de 28,000 MWe al año 2007. Se estima también un ahorro económico en la construcción de infraestructura de generación eléctrica para el escenario alto de su aprovechamiento de casi 7000 mdd, y un escenario de reducción de emisiones para el sector industrial del país de un 0.35% a un 21.47% para el año 2007. Estos pronósticos se pueden lograr, siempre y cuando el gobierno cambie la visión de manejar este tema como una medida de ahorro de energía, y la sustituya por la política de "complemento al desarrollo del sector eléctrico nacional".Descriptores: cogeneración, potencial, costos, ahorros, mitigación, viabilidad.A bstract México has an industrial cogeneration potential very important, not evaluated or projected within its histórica! gromh. The objective of the present work consist of studying the industrial cogeneration potential that exists in México, as m il as the economic and environmental savings that it would be achieved if one took advantage of this potential. A s a result of the present work we can conclude that the cogeneration in México offers a theoretical potential middle o f28,000 MWe to the 2007. It is estimated an economic saving potential in the construction o f generation infrastructure electrical, for the high stage o f its utilization of almost 7000 million of dollars and a stage of emissions reduction of 2007-2i.47°/o, instead o f 2007-0.35%, for the industrial sector o f the country. Provided that change the visión of the government of seeing to the cogeneration as a mensure of energy savin g an d substitute it by that of political of complement to the development of the national electrical sector.

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