Isère Factory Expansion Raises Concerns About Water Consumption and Environmental Impact

The extension of the Isère factory of the industrialist STMicroelectronics, made possible by colossal funding from the State, has raised the fears of environmentalists and local elected officials. The site is a very large consumer of water, which had not been anticipated.

It is a valley with a fertile economy, where semiconductors and other electronic chips grow. But for that you need water, lots of water. However, in Grésivaudan too, there are fewer than before the time of climate change, which worries the population. On the other hand, the billions rain. On Monday, the Minister of the Economy, Bruno Le Maire, granted 2.9 billion euros in public funding to the new STMicroelectronics (ST) factory in Crolles (Isère), a colossal project at 7.5 billion.

The industrial site, whose production capacity is to double, continues to expand, under the questioning eyes of environmentalists. Two new extensions of the huge clean rooms have just been put into service by the electronic chip manufacturer, associated with the Emirati GobalFoundries (GF). Another comes out of the ground. The infernal pace symbolizes the strategic urgency to supply European industry with components.