Tesla automobile expansion plan fuels water concern in Berlin

 

BERLIN – The planned expansion of Tesla’s electric car factory just east of Berlin has significant consequences for groundwater, according to the regional water association.

If around 1 million square metres of land is sealed and over 963,000 square metres is built on, this will impact the formation of new groundwater, the Strausberg-Erkner water board said in a statement.

The expansion would also require a further lowering of the groundwater, withdrawing around 61,000 cubic metres. This would have a direct impact on the public drinking water supply, the board said.

“This fact has to be taken into account in the planning.”

Environmentalists have raised concerns because the proposed site for the expansion is partly located in a water conservation area.

Last week, the Brandenburg State Environmental Agency ordered the US carmaker to change its expansion plans, saying there are “insurmountable obstacles” to issuing a partial permit. Tesla does not share the concerns.

“Any precipitation occurring on the aforementioned area will be infiltrated at the site and contribute to groundwater recharge,” Tesla countered in application documents for the expansion.

Tesla is seeking to expand its large electric vehicle plant – which it calls a gigafactory – in Grünheide. According to the company, the goal is to double production capacity there from 500,000 cars, which has not yet been reached, to 1 million cars a year. That would make it the largest auto plant in Germany.

The company’s plans for the expansion of the plant call for 22,500 employees. The company has submitted a three-part application for environmental approval to the state of Brandenburg that surrounds Berlin.

Currently, about 11,000 employees work in Grünheide, producing an estimated 250,000 vehicles a year.