Power companies benefit from Californian drought

New York

CALIFORNIA'S record drought may be a boon to power companies. The dry spell that began in 2012 is depleting easy-to-reach surface water, forcing growers in the country's largest fruit and vegetable producing state to almost double reliance on underground supplies. Pumping water from wells as deep as 3,000 feet (914 m) is energy intensive, boosting electricity demand by hundreds of millions of dollars.

"We are using about two-and-a-half times more power than we would in a normal year," said Kole Upton, co-owner of the 3,000 acre (1,214 ha) Lost Wagon Wheel Ranch north-west of Fresno. "It's been a huge hit."