U.S. regulators have concluded a months-long review of the environmental permit for Hyundai’s $7.6 billion electric vehicle plant in Georgia, finding that no changes are needed.
The Army Corps of Engineers agreed to revisit the permit last August after the Ogeechee Riverkeeper conservation group threatened to sue. The group argued that the agency failed to consider the potential impact on the region’s main drinking water supply, with the factory projected to use up to 6.6 million gallons of water daily.
The Army Corps concluded the plant would have “a long-term minor effect” on the area’s drinking water supply. That language marks a shift from the original 2022 permit assessment, which called the impact “negligible.”
Hyundai began producing EVs just six months ago at its Bryan County facility west of Savannah, where about 1,200 employees currently work. The company celebrated the plant’s opening last month by announcing plans to expand production capacity by two-thirds—reaching a projected 500,000 vehicles per year.
