With the help of a new website, we can get new information about the battery factory CATL in Debrecen

Local News

Questions and answers related to battery production have been collected by EDC Debrecen on an easily accessible and easy-to-use new website. The local government, which failed to inform the population, is now trying to put things in order.

On the website activated on Thursday, in addition to the presentation of the factory under construction and CATL, as well as the demonstration of the necessity of battery production, the questions of the most concern to the people of Debrecen and Mikepercs were collected, let’s see some of them:

When does production start at the factory?

It is expected that the production lines will be assembled in 2024, and then trial production will begin after commissioning. Series production can start in 2025.

Where do the manufactured batteries from Debrecen go?

CATL’s partners include, for example, BMW, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes, Tesla, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo, so the products made in Debrecen will reach relatively many manufacturers and many countries.

Will the chemicals used in production, as well as the finished products, be transported through the city?

No. On the one hand, freight transport is limited in the city, and on the other hand, the Southern Economic Zone, where CATL’s factory is also built, is located next to the M35 highway, so the transportation of used raw materials and finished products also avoids the city.

What will be the daily water demand of the factory?

The average daily water demand of the CATL factory is 3,378 cubic meters, while its maximum water demand is set at 6,232 cubic meters in phase I. The majority of the water demand is necessary for the operation of the cooling towers and is used in the technological processes, a smaller part appears as social water demand. Both the city and the company are committed to ensuring that cooling and technological water needs are met with greywater, thus protecting the city’s drinking water resources.

What will happen to the water used during production?

Almost 85 percent of the water used is lost to the atmosphere as evaporation loss since most of it is used as cooling water, not during production. The wastewater generated during production is first sent to the factory’s own waste water reservoir, and then, after pre-cleaning and quality control within the factory premises, it is discharged to the wastewater treatment plant in Debrecen based on the applicable laws, regulations and the receiving declaration defined by the service provider.

If the factory’s water demand increases, could it endanger the public supply?

No. On the one hand, the factory’s daily water demand is maximized, and on the other hand, the law stipulates that the supply security of the population always and under all circumstances has priority. In this way, the activities of an economic operator cannot endanger the population’s water supply.

Does the water demand of the factory endanger the water resources of Mikepércs?

No, because Mikepércs has its own deep wells, which have no connection with the water network in Debrecen, so neither with the water supply of the industrial park.

Is the CIVAQUA program necessary to meet the factory’s water needs?

The CIVAQUA program is a continuation of water development in the county of Hajdú-Bihar invented 40 years ago, which serves to make the Great Forest and the Forest Pastures greener. The plans from 1976 were dusted off in the 2000s and the current version of CIVAQUA was developed in detail. It serves exclusively water management, nature conservation, and social and welfare purposes related to the latter. The water infrastructure development of the Southern Economic Zone is completely independent of the CIVAQUA program.

Is it true that the city’s water consumption, supplemented by that of the factory, will lead to desertification?

No, because Debrecen’s water resources can serve local needs for decades to come. The capacity available without a reduction in water resources, i.e. the supply, is 105,000 cubic meters per day, while the average daily water consumption of the city is currently 40,000 cubic meters. Sustainable water management requires continuous monitoring and modeling, as well as active water base protection. The use of gray water reduces the use of water resources.

There is only positive information about the battery factory on the website.

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