Berlin The warnings of uncertainties in the water supply of the Tesla plant in Grünheide near Berlin call Brandenburg’s Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) on the scene. With a view to possible further expansion stages of the electric car factory, Steinbach told the Handelsblatt: “The supply must and may not be guaranteed by a single water association.” It is important to look at larger hydrological relationships. “This can also mean, for example, that water is needed from surrounding areas. This is how the water supply can be secured. ”
The Strausberg-Erkner Water Association (WSE), which is contracted to supply the Gigafactory with 1.4 million cubic meters of water annually, had questioned a guarantee of supply in a statement for the State Office for the Environment. Steinbach pointed out that the availability of water required for industrial settlements was checked. “If it is sufficient, a contract can be concluded, and if not, solutions must be found.”
Tesla had signed a contract with the water association for the water supply in the first expansion stage, and plans were in progress for the following.
The association justified its position with an ongoing legal process of the environmental associations Green League and Nature Conservation Association Brandenburg before the administrative court in Frankfurt (Oder). The environmentalists have sued against the water law permit for increased water extraction.
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In the statement of the water association to the licensing authority, it says, among other things, that “(…) in the event of a total or partial cancellation of this water law license from 02.28.2020 for the Eggersdorf waterworks by the administrative court, the drinking water supply for the project in the immission control approval process yours Authority (…) is (no longer) secured “.
WSE association chief André Bähler warned for the first time last year that there would be too little drinking water in the event that the factory would be expanded further. Economics minister Steinbach had pointed out at the time that the pending problems could be solved and did not endanger the Tesla project.
Association wants to ration water if necessary
In the meantime, the association has decided to ration water for its customers in the future if necessary. “This is the only way to ensure fair drinking water distribution for all 170,000 people in the association’s area in the future,” said the association, explaining the “amendment to the statutes to cap the consumption volume”. The measure primarily affects larger individual consumers, such as industrial companies, “because these proportionally more stress our network system and the achievable effects come into play more quickly”.
Water scarcity is increasingly an issue, even though Germany is actually a water-rich country. But in some regions water is becoming a scarce commodity. The conflicts of use are worsening. The federal government is therefore working on a national water strategy. The grand coalition presented a draft for this in the summer.
So far it is unclear when the first cars will roll off the assembly line in Grünheide. Tesla boss Elon Musk had said at an open house in Grünheide on October 9th that he wanted to start producing electric cars there by December at the latest. However, the final approval is still missing.
Steinbach also expressed confidence in the summer that production would start this year. “I hope that the first car that comes off the production line will be born in 2021,” said the minister in an interview with Handelsblatt in July. Now he explained: “Even if I cannot give a specific date, I remain optimistic that production can start soon.”
Tesla produces the first test cars
Meanwhile, work is already underway behind the factory gates. Tesla has already produced several electric cars to test the functionality of systems. The bodies are intended for test purposes in Grünheide or in external facilities, the company said. The parts produced in this way are not allowed to be sold. The official test run in the car factory has not yet started.
The Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment also did not specify a point in time for the decision on the approval process. According to a spokeswoman, the comments of critics are still being examined after the online discussion. There are still documents or statements, especially on the area of pollution control and water, from authorities, but also from Tesla, she explained. “The approval process is ongoing.”
The Greens in Brandenburg see no need to rush. There had to be a “decision that was as legally certain as possible,” said the parliamentary group leader in the Potsdam state parliament, Benjamin Raschke. “Therefore quality is more important than speed.”
So far, Tesla is building its factory through early approval. Environmentalists and residents fear negative consequences for the forest and animals and questioned the concept for dealing with incidents. In an initial discussion held online, they also warned that drinking water in the area could become scarce because of the factory.
Tesla had rejected the criticism. The company advertises that the factory uses 250 times less water than the Brandenburg lignite opencast mine. “The water consumption is also below the order of magnitude of the consumption of the Brandenburg cement, paper and chemicals industry”, the company explained in October on the occasion of the open house.
In an initial expansion stage, the e-car manufacturer plans to produce up to 500,000 “Model Y” vehicles per year with around 12,000 employees. Tesla states that 80 percent of employees come from Germany, 20 percent from 50 other countries.
The company wants to offer training for 20 professions. “This will make the Gigafactory the largest training company in Brandenburg,” Tesla explained in October. The factory currently employs around 1,800 people. With the start of production, the number should then be increased.
Group boss Musk also wants to build a large battery factory in Grünheide. Tesla recently surprisingly waived a possible government subsidy in the billions for the planned battery production. The reason is so far unclear.
Tesla is generating a lot of interest in the Brandenburg location
Brandenburg’s Minister of Economic Affairs sees Tesla as a great asset for the region. “We are already noticing a significant increase in interest in the Brandenburg location,” said Steinbach. “Many of those who knock on our door today did not have Brandenburg on their radar beforehand.” The country has become more attractive for industrial establishments, but not only because of Tesla.
In the area of electromobility in particular, a lot is happening with BASF, the German-Canadian company Rock Tech and Daimler. “Similar to the Shanghai plant, Tesla itself wants to have a large number of its suppliers close by, in the region and in Germany,” said Steinbach. “That strengthens the economic power, creates jobs and thus also benefits the regions.”
The Brandenburg Green parliamentary group leader Raschke also emphasizes the advantages. “The Tesla settlement is putting pressure on other manufacturers to quickly transform themselves in the direction of climate-friendly production and mobility,” he said. “For us, it is crucial that the infrastructure around the factory is designed as ecologically and sustainably as possible.” According to the Greens, the delivery of raw materials and products for the factory should take place by rail, and the journey to work should be done on “good” Cycle Paths ”and in a closely-timed local public transport system.
More: The blocked republic: How bureaucratic hurdles slow down industrial projects in Germany