US Authorities Reexamine Environmental Permit for Hyundai Motor Georgia Plant

The U.S. federal government has decided to review the environmental permit for Hyundai Motor Company's $7.6 billion (approximately 10.1042 trillion KRW) electric vehicle plant in Georgia, 'Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America,' AP News reported on the 26th (local time).

According to AP News, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) announced on the 23rd through a letter that it will conduct a reinvestigation regarding the industrial water supply for the Hyundai Metaplant factory. At the time of the project's permit approval in 2022, the state of Georgia and local economic development agencies did not inform that Hyundai intended to extract up to 25 million liters of water per day from local groundwater, and thus the environmental permit will be reevaluated.

Hyundai Motor Group Meta Plant America Bird's-eye View

USACE also sent a similar letter to the environmental group Ogeechee Riverkeeper. The group stated that if the permit issued for the Hyundai project in June is not reviewed, it plans to file a lawsuit against the U.S. government agency.

According to AP, USACE's letter did not order any delay or suspension of construction on the plant site.

Sara Lips, spokesperson for the Georgia Department of Environmental Protection, said that the federal government's additional oversight is unlikely to affect or delay the final decision.

Hyundai Motor Group has been constructing an electric vehicle-only plant in Bryan County, Georgia, investing $7.6 billion since October 2022. Production is planned to begin in the fourth quarter of this year.