Current Events > Musk looking to drain even more water from drought stricken area...

(+) Yeah! (+)

...for lithium plant:

Twenty miles outside Corpus Christi, Texas an area so dry the local water company distributes shower timers at high school football games the worlds richest man is nearly done building a lithium refinery that could require as much as 8 million gallons of water per day.

In a rare public update on the $1 billion project, Tesla Inc. in December said it was starting to test the ability to process lithium through the new factory. But the carmaker still doesn't have a contract for the water needed to operate the facility, presenting a hurdle for Chief Executive Officer Elon Musks goal of turning lithium into chemical products used to make electric vehicle batteries.

The factory, where Tesla aspires to start production this year, is part of a broader effort by Musk to ease bottlenecks and build a more robust domestic supply chain of the critical raw material. It has also set off alarm bells among some in the small Texas town who are worried about having enough water to live on, let alone help supply a big factory.

In 2022, Tesla estimated it would need 400,000 gallons per day to run the lithium plant, rising to 800,000 gallons per day at peak usage. Two years later, a Tesla employee told a consulting firm, Raftelis, that the forecast has spiked to as high as 8 million gallons per day, according to South Texas Water Authority records obtained by Bloomberg News through a public records request.

South Texas Water Authority controls the water but doesnt sell it directly to Tesla, which is negotiating a water contract with Nueces Water Supply Corp., a water utility company. Nueces Water Supply didnt respond to requests for comment. South Texas Water Authority didnt provide a comment for this story.

Its difficult to determine what kind of drain Teslas factory would have on the areas water supply. But the average American family uses about 300 gallons of water per day or 109,500 gallons per year, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

For Robstown, which had 3,804 households as of 2023, that would equate to about 1.1 million gallons a day. At the high-end estimate of 8 million gallons per day, Tesla would be using eight times Robstowns average residential water use. Thats enough water to fill eight ten-foot-deep swimming pools that are nearly the size of a football field, according to the US Geological Survey.

Drought Levels

Its always been dry in this hot corner of South Texas best known for its beaches and energy exports but theres even less water to go around today than when Tesla first broke ground in May 2023. The areas drought status was just upgraded to stage 3 urgent meaning turning off non-essential water use across facilities and parks and adding new restrictions on washing cars, watering lawns and operating decorative fountains.

Theyre telling us to take shorter showers and turn the faucet off when were brushing our teeth, said Marie Lucio, a resident of the nearby Lost Creek neighborhood. The area already has frequent problems with water quality, including low pressure and a milky-like tint, and shes worried the areas aging water pipes wont be able to keep up with new demand like the Tesla factory. Were not equipped to handle getting water to these industries.

About a year into construction, Teslas plant manager Jason Bevan told a county judge that the company had struggled to advance the discussion on water agreements, an email obtained by Bloomberg News shows. Im at a stage now where we need to escalate the urgency around getting this agreement complete, he wrote at the time. Tesla didnt reply to a request for further comment.

Even without a water agreement, Tesla has plowed ahead. In true Musk fashion, the billionaire has pushed forward with building other infrastructure and held an event last month showcasing the plant for the community.

Musk is known for pushing back against regulations, often saying they slow projects down. And he now has a new political ally in President-elect Donald Trump, who has joined the Tesla CEO in railing against government regulation. Trump recently proclaimed that any person or company investing a billion dollars in a US project should receive expedited approvals and permits. Musk reposted the idea with an American flag emoji, a rocket ship emoji and three words: This is awesome.

One way hes been able to expedite projects has been to build factories in Texas city buffer zones or unincorporated areas that have fewer rules and government oversight compared with bigger cities.

Musks Robstown site fits the bill. The factory sits on former farmland in an unincorporated portion of Nueces County in South Texas. The area is industrializing, with the Port of Corpus Christi and other companies buying up space in the area and driving up water needs.

Related: Tesla Water Usage Musk Snickered at Is No Laughing Matter

Even at the lowest estimated demand, Teslas water needs are raising concerns for local residents. Its just upsetting that we still give water contracts out when were in such dire straits, said Myra Alaniz, a Nueces County resident who lives just outside of Robstown.

Despite the complaints, local officials have made little public pushback.

The facility is expected to bring around 250 permanent jobs, with average salaries around $80,000 in an area where the average income is less than half that. To spur investment, county commissioners in 2022 voted to make the site a tax increment reinvestment zone, a designated area that bookmarks a portion of property taxes for redevelopment. The same year, the Robstown Independent School District passed its own tax abatement extension.

In December, South Texas Water Authority passed an infrastructure deal that will allow Nueces Water Supply to sell rights to the pipe Tesla will need to obtain water, which was one of the hold-ups for a water deal. In a meeting last month, Nueces Water Supplys board authorized management to take any and all actions necessary or convenient to reach an agreement to provide Tesla with the water it needs.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/musk-massive-tesla-lithium-plant-110009148.html

All that waste is going to be dumped into Texas' pristine waters.

bump

If Captain Planet were remade today, this would literally be an episode.

chaos_knight posted...

If Captain Planet were remade today, this would literally be an episode.

Leon Skum would definitely be the name of one of the Eco Villains if Captain Planet came out today.

Well, we gotta have those electric cars right ?

Patriotwolf posted...

Well, we gotta have those electric cars right ?

The areas of the country that used to make cars is trending wetter with climate change, seems like itd be a better area to build this

Patriotwolf posted...

Well, we gotta have those electric cars right ?

You do realize that they don't have to be built in completely unsuitable locations, don't you?

Of course you do.

So dumb

Just goes to show th at electric powered cars isn't the way

chaos_knight posted...

If Captain Planet were remade today, this would literally be an episode.

It would be labeled as woke propaganda....

I hope his factory burns down.

kinetika_ posted...

Just goes to show th at electric powered cars isn't the way

No, it still is...just not like this.

Why would you build a new pant that requires that much water, and not have the water deal in place already?

so much stupid

kinetika_ posted...

Just goes to show th at electric powered cars isn't the way

They're more efficient for drive-by trolling.

You should know that.

Why the fuck would you try to build a water hungry facility in a place without water? Like that is so fucking dumb. There's parts of the US that have plenty of water.
This isn't something like farming where location actually matters.

texanfan27 posted...

Why would you build a new pant that requires that much water, and not have the water deal in place already?

so much stupid

Musk bought the president, what makes you think he cant buy water

The residents would be entirely justified to raze the factory to the ground.

Clear cut self defense.

uwnim posted...

Why the fuck would you try to build a water hungry facility in a place without water? Like that is so fucking dumb. There's parts of the US that have plenty of water.

Those places aren't offering him huge tax incentives, subsidies, and a blind eye to labor, safety, and environmental violations and Texas is.

McmadnessV3 posted...

No, it still is...just not like this.

Hydrogen seems promising.

kinetika_ posted...

Just goes to show th at electric powered cars isn't the way

You're right. They aren't. Public transportation and walkable cities are the real solution, but most anti-electric car people won't say that because they want to drive their gas-guzzling tanks.