Tesla Giga Berlin received a wastewater management proposal from local water supplier, the Strausberg-Erkner Water Association (WSE).
On Tuesday, 16 WSE members representing the municipalities in the region held a private meeting with Tesla Giga Berlin representatives in attendance. WSE members and Tesla Giga Berlin’s representatives discussed the ongoing dispute about the factory’s wastewater management.
According to the German Press Agency, WSE proposed a compromise to resolve its dispute with Tesla. The water supplier agreed to more than double Giga Berlin’s limit value for nitrogen from 50 to 1120 milligrams per liter. The association will not increase phosphorous limits.
In return, WSE asks Tesla to permanently forego 0.4 million cubic meters of water annually. Before Giga Berlin started operations, WSE contractually agreed to provide Tesla with 1.8 million cubic meters of water per year.
Earlier this year, a DPA document revealed that WSE submitted several requests and warnings to Tesla, stating that Giga Berlin is exceeding wastewater limits—specifically for refractory phosphorous and total nitrogen. Tesla and the water association have clarified that the wastewater is from Giga Berlin’s sanitary facilities and kitchen, not the factory’s car production line.
WSE is considering discontinuing wastewater disposal services for Giga Berlin. In a letter to the water association’s head and chairman, Tesla warned that halting wastewater disposal services to Giga Berlin would result in a production halt, causing millions of dollars of damage.
Giga Berlin’s production stopped last month because of an arson attack. The production halt affected Tesla’s deliveries in the first quarter.
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