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United States, Costa Rica and India are the first three countries where Intel “restores and returns more water than it draws.”“for its business operations. After announcing its commitment to become” carbon neutral “by 2040, the US microchip giant is reporting good news in its not-so-simple race towards greater respect for the environment, something that has not begun yesterday but over 10 years ago.
“Five years ago, we publicly set ourselves the goal of restoring 100% of our consumption and we became the first technology company to do so. Two years ago, we announced our goal of obtaining the water net positivity by 2030, driven by our commitment to reduce the overall impact on local river basins and support the water resources that serve the population. It is with emotion that today we announce that we are ‘net positive’ in three countries, thanks to strong partnerships with environmental non-profit organizations and local governments and through our investments in water management. We don’t stop here now we intend to achieve this in all the locations in which we operate“said Todd Brady, Intel’s director of sustainability and vice president of global public affairs at Intel.
Last year, Intel used over 60 billion gallons of fresh waterreclaimed and desalinated, globally, and thanks to its water management practices, has about 50 billion liters of water returned to local communities flowed from its plants. New plants under construction in the United States and Europe will also be designed to meet the company’s goal.
Water is one of the most important resources of a plant that produces semiconductors. Intel uses both freshwater and wastewater, as well as sourcing from other sources. In Israel desalinated seawater is used, while in other sites well water or rainwater is used to supplement groundwater.
“Keeping the balance of water consumption in balance means working to conserve and reuse water wherever possible. Some of the water purchased by Intel is wasted between irrigation and evaporation, but within the company we make enormous efforts to save water. and make sure we are as careful as possible in our use of water, “the company reports in a note.
These efforts have enabled Intel to save over 35 billion liters last year, 114% more than two years earlier. Greater efficiency in manufacturing processes means Intel is able to produce more with fewer resources, while internal purification plants allow the company to maximize water reuse and reduce the use of fresh water from external sources.
In 2021, Intel made major progress in implementing water purification plants, which allow water to be treated and reused in cooling towers and scrubbers, to the advantage of conserving the resource. The question that arises is: how does Intel return more water than it drawseven just thinking about evaporation and other losses that it cannot control?
The company explains that, in addition to traditional conservation techniques, there is a whole work that includes the requalification of local economies, in ways that have a long-term impact. For example, Intel works to restore the watersheds in the vicinity of its sites.
In Arizonafor example, the Green River is home to migratory birds, the nesting of golden eagles, river otters and fish. The river is also a major water source for the city of Phoenix and is critical to the area’s agricultural economy. In the summer months, temperatures increase and withdrawals from the river increase to irrigate crops.
An Intel funded project incentives farmers to replace crops that require intensive irrigation in the summer months with barley, which is harvested at the beginning of the year and requires less water. As part of the project, an investment in a local malt shop has reduced the costs of malting the barley, which can then be sold at an advantageous cost to local breweries that previously had to use suppliers outside the state of Arizona.
In Bengaluru, in India, once known as the “City of Lakes”, a significant urban development has led to extreme water stress and the depletion of groundwater. To support the city’s water resources, Intel funded two water restoration projects which, when completed, will restore approximately 380 million liters of water each year between Lake Dyavasandra and Lake Nanjapura.
Production expansion in the United States and Europe will increase Intel’s water footprint, but the 2030 target remains constant: to cut it it will have to save about 227 billion liters of water and restore more than 100% of its global consumption. of fresh water. How close is Intel to reaching this 100%? It is practically a stone’s throw away: in 2021 it reached 99%.
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