One of the biggest concerns voiced by environmental groups opposed to Tesla’s Giga Berlin has been around the factory’s water supply.
Both the Green League and the Brandenburg Nature Protection Association (Naturschutzbund – NABU) have filed a lawsuit against Brandenburg State Office for the Environment. The lawsuit centers around the government’s approval for a higher rate of water withdrawal from the local Eggersdorf waterworks.
The government approved a rate of 3.7 million cubic meters per year in February 2020, up from the previously approved rate of 2.5 million cubic meters per year established in 1976.
The groups claim the high rate of water consumption at Giga Berlin will not only be a danger to the water supply, but also to the quality of resident’s drinking water.
On Wednesday, Enviroment Minister Alex Vogel disagreed with the group’s position, saying the government sees no risks with Tesla’s water use.
“The state government does not see the drinking water supply of 170,000 people in the catchment area of the WSE (Water Association Strausberg-Erkner) and the water supply of Tesla as being at risk,” Vogel said (via Welt)
This isn’t the only lawsuit filed by the environmental groups. They also filed a lawsuit in 2021 over Tesla’s preliminary permits for Giga Berlin, which was rejected by a court.
The groups ultimately decided to drop the case and avoid going to a higher court because the costs would have been too much of a burden for their limited resources.
Tesla is expected to receive their final approvals for Giga Berlin soon. While they wait, the factory was recently granted approved to build 2,000 test cars.
Based on recent changes to the website, Tesla could begin deliveries of made-in-Germany cars in March, or sooner.
