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Welcome back for the second issue of our Earth Month newsletter series. This week, we are sharing Intel’s global water strategy to reduce, reuse, and restore water, as well as our goal to achieve net positive water globally by 2030!
It’s also an exciting week for us as our first ‘superload’ has arrived in New Albany. Our equipment first traveled up the Ohio River via the Mississippi and was unloaded along the shorelines of the Ohio River at the site of a decommissioned coal fired power plant. That land is now being used as a port to unload Intel’s barge deliveries, and by others!
From the Ohio River, the equipment is slowly but steadily making its way to New Albany. The Ohio Department of Transportation has carefully analyzed and planned the route to make sure these superloads can be accommodated. Since each load will be escorted by several Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers, emergency traffic will get around the rolling roadblock with minimal delay. Working collaboratively with local governments and utility companies, obstructions along the route such as large overhead signs, traffic signals, and utility lines have been adjusted and moved.
The schedule of each of the nearly two dozen loads will be checked against local events, like festivals and fairs, to further minimize impacts. Updates will be provided as each load moves north toward central Ohio. You can find more information at transportation.ohio.gov/superload.
And in case you missed it, here is the first issue in the Earth Month newsletter series. Stayed tuned throughout the month for the rest of the series where we’ll be diving deeper into how Intel responsibly reduces our environmental footprint not only in our factories, but across our value chain.
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With gratitude,
Emily Smith
Ohio Community Relations Director
Intel Corporation
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Superloads arriving from Adams County | | |
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One of Intel's superloads arrived at the Ohio One campus in New Albany. | |
We extend a heartfelt thank you to the Ohio Department of Transportation, State Highway Patrol and the many towns and cities that collaborated to ensure the safe delivery of Intel’s first superload from Manchester, Adams County to the Ohio One campus in New Albany, Licking County. This is the first of nearly two dozen oversized loads that will travel to the campus over the next several months. | |
Intel equipment is being unloaded along the shorelines of the Ohio River. | |
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Some of this equipment will be part of the air separating unit (ASU) that will separate naturally occurring nitrogen from the air and store it for use in our manufacturing process. When the campus is completed, these ASUs will be located behind the front office buildings and will be partially obscured by the berms and the tree landscaping.
Fun Fact: More than 99% of air that we breath is made of three gases: nitrogen, oxygen, and argon. These ASUs separate these naturally occurring elements from the air so they can be used in our manufacturing. Locating the ASUs on our campus helps to reduce our overall environmental footprint because they don’t need to be transported to our facility. The elemental gases that are not used are released back into the air, which is safe, since it came from the air in the first place. This unit will comply with the highest safety, health, environmental and quality standards.
Image: Intel Ohio One campus with Air Separating Units (ASU) circled in red. These units will be delivered to the Ohio One site in 2024 and stored in a laydown area on the campus until they are installed later in the construction process.
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Water Stewardship at Intel | |
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Intel recognizes that water is a shared natural resource that is of critical importance to Ohio and essential to semiconductor manufacturing – the heart of Intel’s business. Intel has been investing in sustainable water management and conservation for close to three decades.
Our global water strategy has three main objectives:
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REDUCE our water footprint through innovative water conservation projects | |
REUSE within our operations through large investments in state-of-the-art water treatment facilities | |
RESTORE water to our watersheds in collaboration with local communities | |
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Intel has set a goal to achieve net positive water by 2030, meaning we will restore and return more freshwater to our communities or environment than we take in. Our reduce and reuse efforts help us make the most of the water we bring in and reduce the amount of freshwater needed from our watersheds. To make up the balance of water that is consumed onsite, primarily due to evaporation, Intel funds watershed restoration projects to benefit the water resources and the communities where we operate.
Last month, in our Water Restoration 2023 Progress Report, we shared that these projects, in addition to our efficient water management, water reuse, and collaboration with municipalities, have enabled Intel to achieve net positive water in four countries – the US, India, Costa Rica, and Mexico in 2023. We will continue to fund projects in our watersheds and invest in conservation efforts at our sites and with our communities, until we achieve and maintain net positive water across our global operations.
We know transparency is important, and that’s why we publicly disclose our environmental impact on our Explore Intel website. Every Intel manufacturing site around the world posts this data every quarter to keep our communities informed. Additionally, we report progress toward our goals, including detailed inventories of our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and water use, by location, in our annual Corporate Responsibility Report.
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At Intel, we believe that we have a responsibility to our communities, employees, and customers to reduce our impact on the environment and respect the human right to water. We are committed to managing water resources efficiently and continuously striving for leadership in corporate water stewardship.
Water for the Intel Ohio One site will come from the City of New Albany, which purchases water from the City of Columbus, which comes from Hoover Reservoir along Big Walnut Creek. Once the water is received at the Ohio One site, it will be treated at Intel’s onsite water system with a capacity of processing millions of gallons of water each day. This process creates ultra-pure water that is completely free of any particles, ions and different types of trace minerals. While those are important for drinking water, they must be removed before being used in the semiconductor manufacturing process, so the chips aren’t damaged.
After the water is used in the manufacturing process, it will be treated and reused at the campus in multiple ways, before being treated again to applicable water quality standards (Ohio EPA and City of Columbus) and discharged into the sanitary sewer system where it is further treated at the City of Columbus’ wastewater treatment plant. There will be no direct wastewater discharges from Intel’s manufacturing operations to any water bodies. In accordance with our stormwater discharge permit, only stormwater is allowed to drain from the site into streams or surface waters.
Stormwater on the Ohio One campus is diverted into retention basins designed to manage stormwater runoff by storing it and releasing it gradually, which prevents flooding and erosion. These basins will be enhanced with wetland vegetation, which filter storm water, and provide a natural habitat for plants and animals. These types of engineered wetland detention systems are the most effective stormwater quality management practices.
FUN FACT: Intel is the first semiconductor company in the United States to be Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) certified and is the second company in the country to earn the Platinum certification for our Ocotillo, Arizona Campus, the highest level under this program. AWS certification is a globally recognized framework that validates a company’s sustainable and responsible water management practices. The Platinum certification is recognition of Intel’s dedication to continuous improvement for sustainable water resource management and ongoing commitment to water conservation and restoration.
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President Carter visits Intel Ohio | |
Our Ohio One team had the privilege of accompanying Mayor Sloan Spalding, Jennifer Chrysler and the City of New Albany team on a tour of the New Albany International Business Park including a tour around the Intel Ohio One campus with President Ted Carter, Dr. Peter Mohler and the team from THE Ohio State University. Many of our Ohio One team members are graduates of OSU and we were proud to represent the scarlet and gray. Go Bucks! | |
Celebrating Ohio 4-H Student Leaders | |
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Sending a round of applause to Licking County leaders Travis Allen and Aubrey Barger for being inducted into the Ohio 4-H Teen Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Emily Scaff from Scioto County for being announced as the Ohio 4-H teen of the year.
Thank you to the Ohio 4-H Foundation and the many passionate 4H and OSU extension educators for finding unique ways to support these amazing students.
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Intel Ohio Interns Heading to Arizona | |
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We visited high schoolers from the Arts College Prep Academy (APCA) to share information about our campus in New Albany and to introduce them to careers of the future.
Semiconductor research, design, manufacturing, and packaging requires a reliable workforce, including trade workers, highly trained technical workers, and workers with degrees in relevant science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – and because innovation also requires imagination, creative-thinking, and design skills – the arts fields are incredibly important to the Silicon Heartland. That’s why we’re adding an A to STEM to make STEAM!
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Interested in Becoming an Intel Supplier?
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Intel’s operations in the United States depend on hundreds of small, medium, and large local businesses, as will our fabs in Ohio. These businesses provide Intel with a variety of services and materials, from local lodging, meals, transportation, security, warehousing, chemicals, test equipment, and more.
Learn more about becoming an Intel Supplier >
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