--- title: "Electric Car Battery Mining Operation Allegedly Hid Evidence It Was Leaching Dangerous Chemical Into Water System" description: "One of the common misconceptions about electric vehicles is that they're a net positive for the environment. While it's true that EVs themselves don't spew nasty exhaust into the atmosphere, their clean carbon footprint is offset in other ways: namely into battery manufacturing and electrical production. Precious metals required to build high-tech EV batteries are likewise" date: "2025-05-04" modified: "2025-05-04" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/electric-car-mining-leaching-chemicals" categories: - "Advanced Transport" - "Electric Vehicles" tags: - "electric vehicles" - "environmental destruction" - "Mining" --- # Electric Car Battery Mining Operation Allegedly Hid Evidence It Was Leaching Dangerous Chemical Into Water System ![A new investigation has uncovered a decade-long scheme to dump toxic slag related to the production of EV batteries into Indonesian waters.]() *\Image: Tesla / Getty / Futurism\* One of the common misconceptions about electric vehicles is that they're a net positive for the environment. While EVs are [almost certainly better for the planet]() than gas-powered ones, they still have a substantial impact [because of factors]() like battery manufacturing and coal-generated electricity. Mining the precious metals needed to build high-tech EV batteries is especially rough on the environment — and the people living nearby — as one nickel extraction operation has shown. The Harita Group is a massive Indonesian conglomerate responsible for one of the largest nickel mining operations in the country, which is currently the [world leader]() in nickel exports. Harita is a major player in Indonesia's metal supply chain, with its [coal-fired smelters]() responsible for nearly one percent of Indonesia's total carbon emissions in 2023. As it turns out, it's also one of the island nation's leading water polluters. A [new investigation]() by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) found evidence of a decade-long [chemical dumping scheme]() connected to Harita's nickel mine, which began operations in 2010. The OCCRP alleges that Harita's operations have leached the the waste chemical chromium-6 — a highly carcinogenic byproduct of high-temperature nickel extraction, perhaps best known as the contaminant investigated by activist [Erin Brockovich]() back in the 1990s — into local waters for years on end. As a massive mining conglomerate, Harita has a veritable army of environmental scientists at its disposable, constantly taking soil and water samples in compliance with national law. Responding to critics in a [2023 statement](), the company wrote that it performs "environmental treatment and management for its waste under applicable government regulations," adding that it has "proven its compliance" with federal regulations. But thousands of [now-leaked emails]() tell another story: when Harita first discovered elevated chromium-6 levels in the water, it decided to hide the data from the local and international community, asking the government "not to convey the information to the pubic at this time due to the current unfavorable situation." Though the company didn't respond to comments to OCCRP or *The* *Guardian —* which reported on Harita's chromium-6 dumping [back in 2022 ]()— the company's director of health, safety, and environment, Tonny Gultom, was photographed [holding a glass of water]() from a local stream to his lips back in 2023. The photos stop short of showing Gultom drinking the water, however. ![Harita Nickel Director of health, safety, and environment, stands with a container of water to his lips at a photo-op at the Kawasi Spring on the Indonesian island of Obi.]() Worse yet, the company appears to have known about elevated chromium-6 levels as far back as 2012, but made no effort to inform local communities or mitigate its toxic spillage. The dumping and subsequent coverup are unfortunately [par for the course]() in the precious metals industry, especially so when it comes to the EV market, which has an obvious interest in [burying any sign]() of environmental harm. It's an important reminder that green energy isn't necessarily a [net-positive](). EVs might reduce smog and increase air quality for rich cities in the west — but at the expense of typically poorer, industrial workers in the parts of the world where precious green energy metals are found. By turning a blind eye to the upstream damage caused by mining and production, we're not solving the problem — only kicking the can down the road for someone else to clean up. **More on toxic waste:** [*Trump Admin Cancels Programs to Protect Children From Toxic Chemicals*]() ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()