No Wastewater Discharge Permit? For Stardust Power in Muskogee, That's Good News

No Permit = Faster Construction

May 14, 2025

MUSKOGEE, OK – Stardust Power, a company developing battery-grade lithium products, recently announced a significant step for its planned facility here in Muskogee. They've confirmed with the Oklahoma Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) that they will not need a traditional industrial wastewater discharge permit.

Now, you might hear "no permit" and think that sounds like a facility getting a pass on environmental rules. But in this case, it's actually because of the way Stardust Power plans to handle water at their site. They're using what's called a "closed-loop" water system.

Think of a closed-loop system like recycling water within the facility. Instead of using water once and then treating it to a certain level before sending it out to a river or public system (which is what a traditional wastewater permit covers), a closed-loop system constantly treats and reuses the water internally. This means there's no wastewater being discharged off the property into public waters.

The ODEQ's determination that a discharge permit isn't needed simply reflects this design. If a facility isn't discharging wastewater, there's no need for a permit that regulates wastewater discharge.

This approach has several upsides. For one, it significantly reduces the facility's demand on local water supplies after the initial filling of their tanks. It also minimizes the potential for any impact on nearby waterways because there's no treated water being released into them. Stardust Power's CEO, Roshan Pujari, highlighted this, stating that not needing a water permit shows how cleanly the facility has been designed, reducing water needs and discharge volumes.

This water management plan is just one piece of the puzzle for Stardust Power's project in Muskogee. As we've covered before on the Substack, this facility represents a notable industrial development for the area. You can get a broader overview of Stardust Power's Muskogee Refinery project and its importance by reading my article here.

Getting a large industrial site up and running involves many details, and securing necessary infrastructure is key. Another important step we discussed recently was the finalization of the power supply agreement. You can find details on how Stardust Power and OG&E finalized that crucial agreement in my article here.

Stardust Power is still working through other necessary environmental permits, like the Minor Source Air Permit, which is under review by the ODEQ. They have already secured a permit for managing stormwater from construction activities, demonstrating their commitment to managing water responsibly on site during the construction phase.

The takeaway here is that not all permits are about controlling pollution being released. In the case of a closed-loop system, the absence of a wastewater discharge permit means the facility is designed to prevent that discharge from happening in the first place. It's a different way of managing water, focused on conservation and internal recycling, which aligns with environmentally responsible practices.

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