Tesla Giga Berlin Water Supply Issue Clarified, Says Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel

Tesla Giga Berlin’s water supply issue has been clarified, said Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel. The water supply for Tesla’s upcoming factory in Germany has been a topic of concern for some residents of nearby communities. Both the EV automaker and local government officials seem to have heard the people of Grünheide’s concerns and come to an agreeable solution.

The water association Strausberg-Erkner has applied for an increase in production capacity. At the same time, Tesla has reduced its water requirements. Both parties' actions reveal that the water association and the EV car maker are determined to figure out a solution to the people of Grünheide’s concerns about Giga Berlin's water supply.

Brandenburg’s Environment Minister of Axel Vogel (Greens) spoke of Strasberg-Erkner’s application for increased production capacity on Wednesday, February 13. “The processing should be completed this week. Then the approval notice will be issued,” Vogel said.

Sounds like we need to clear up a few things! Tesla won’t use this much net water on a daily basis. It’s possibly a rare peak usage case, but not an everyday event. Also, this is not a natural forest — it was planted for use as cardboard & only a small part will be used for GF4.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 25, 2020

According to Moz, water production volumes will be redistributed between five Strausberg-Erkner waterworks. Two of the association’s waterworks will be allowed to increase its production volumes, said Minister Vogel. ”So, there is no need to worry about whether Tesla can be supplied with enough water,” he said. 

According to Minister Vogel, 16 million cubic meters of water were allowed to be extracted from the waterworks of the Strausberg-Erkner association. Tesla initially said it would need a maximum of 372 cubic meters per hour, though the electric car maker later reduced its estimate to a maximum of 243 cubic meters per hour or 1.77 million cubic meters per year. 

Tesla reduced its estimates for maximum number for wastewater quantities from 252 cubic meters per hour to 177 cubic meters as well. Strausberg-Erkner does not have its own wastewater treatment plants, so it used the ones in Münchehofe, which run from Berlin. So people in Berlin must be consulted about Tesla’s sewage volumes.

Giga Berlin / GF4 will absolutely be designed with sustainability and the environment in mind

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 25, 2020

There were concerns about Tesla’s wastewater contaminating the protected drinking water in the surrounding area of Giga Berlin. However, Vogel put an end to those concerns. 

“According to the available documents, Tesla even fulfills higher environmental protection standards than we demand. A very high level of technology can be expected at Tesla,” he said.

Overall, Brandenburg's Environment Minister Axel Vogel seems optimistic about the new approach to Tesla’s water supply. He shared that the State Environment Agency and the Lower Water Authority would be working closely on the project. 

H/T: @alex_avoigt

Featured Image Credit: @gigafactory_4/Twitter