Tesla must amend Giga Berlin expansion plans

Tesla will not be allowed to build its battery factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, as planned. This was decided by the Water Management Department of the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment (LfU). In addition, it was confirmed that the expansion plans also involve the production of battery cells.

Only a few days ago, the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment initiated public participation in the approval process for the expansion of the Tesla factory in Grünheide. In the course of this, it became known that Tesla is not only aiming to double its production capacity for electric cars, but also to “increase the battery storage production capacity from currently 50 to 100 gigawatt-hours per year in the future”, as the ministry announced.

Until now it was unclear whether this expansion of “battery storage production capacity” was battery cell production or (for the time being) only an assembly of battery packs. It is clear from the letter from the Water Management Department that Tesla’s plans also include “cell production in building A120”.

How Tesla’s expansion plans will proceed, however, has not yet been conclusively clarified. In March, the Water Management Department (W13) had already rejected plans to build a battery factory and a process wastewater recycling plant for the time being. The reason: both plants would be partly located in a water protection area. The opinion has now become known through the publication of the application documents.

The department assesses this as “insurmountable obstacles to a partial permit” and points out that in this case an “approval of the amendment application 1st partial permit” would have to be obtained from the lower water authority, “as it is responsible for the enforcement of the water protection area ordinance”. According to the regional German publication rbb24, the latter is already dealing with the application documents and will also take a position. Until then, it remains unclear to what extent the carmaker will have to adjust its plans. Tesla submitted the application for the plant expansion in March 2023.

Tesla has already stated that it will adjust the expansion plans for its plant in Grünheide. However, the expansion of the battery cell production is not planned within the water protection area. “An amendment to the application for the first partial permit that is now on the table is therefore not necessary,” Tesla wrote. The electric carmaker also sees no problems with the process wastewater recycling plant, as this will be done by “retrofitting the already approved existing wastewater treatment plant”. Wastewater treatment plants for further plant expansions are planned outside the water protection area.

rbb24.de, drive.google.com (plans as PDF), twitter.com