Tesla plans to build 500,000 electric vehicles a year at its new factory outside Berlin, which will create about 10,000 jobs. Construction will begin in 2020 in Gruenheide, Brandenburg. It will also establish an engineering and design centre in Berlin near the new airport in the German capital.
However, although the news has been welcomed by the authorities, various groups of environmentalists and households claim that its construction will cause serious problems with the supply of drinking water and the treatment of wastewater.
Environmental activists from the Members of the Fürstenwald branch of the Nature Conservation Association (NABU) defend that Tesla’s plans published earlier this month showed that they would need more than 370 cubic meters of water per hour which would result in the exhaustion of the reserves. In addition, they highlighted the deforestation of some 300 hectares of forest that is home to protected wildlife, along with increased traffic in the towns and on nearby highways, resulting in a considerable impact on bird, insect and bat populations. NABU is known in Germany for stopping most large construction projects including renewable energy projects such as solar stations or wind turbine parks.
On the other hand, some citizens do not see that this factory will cause such problems. Some think that the construction of the factory would bring improvements to the area, create jobs and give opportunities to the new generations in addition to improving the local economy.
Electrek’s Take technology and electric mobility media feel confident that Tesla is a brand committed to the green transition and will do what is necessary to comply with environmental regulations and will even have a positive impact on the environment by accelerating the transition from combustion vehicles to electric vehicles.
P Griffin, Gotechdaily, ´ After protests, Tesla’s musk tries to alleviate the water problems on the factory premises´, More information can be found here, (accessed 27 January 2020)