Hyundai Motor Company expects to use about 60% of permitted water withdrawals from four proposed wells to supply its $7.6 billion electric vehicle and battery manufacturing complex near Savannah, the automaker said this week.
Bulloch County (where the wells would be drilled) and Bryan County (where construction is nearing completion on Hyundai’s 16-million-square-foot assembly plant) are seeking Georgia Environmental Protection Division approval to pump up to 6.65 million gallons daily from the Floridan Aquifer .
“Of the 6.6 million gallons per day, (Hyundai) is estimated to need 4 million gallons per day once we reach full production – 300,000 cars annually,” company spokeswoman Bianca Johnson said in an email. “The remaining 2.65 million gallons annually is for estimated growth and development in North Bryan County.”
The usage breakdown could be significant as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers revisits a crucial environmental permit it approved for development of the 2,500-acre site along Interstate 16.