Shortly before the planned delivery of the first Model Y from the Tesla factory in Grünheide near Berlin, the last sword of Damocles that hung over the project seems to have been dismantled. The WSE association responsible for the water supply of the Gigafactory had declared following a court ruling that possibly having to terminate the contract with Tesla, because otherwise there would not be enough water left for the rest of his customers. But shortly before the decision was made on this Thursday, there should now have been an agreement with the state of Brandenburg, with which full Tesla supply is possible.
Crisis meeting solves water problem for Tesla
Shortly following the overall approval for the Tesla project was granted in early March, the administrative court in Frankfurt an der Oder decided that one should be approved by the state higher water withdrawal at one of the WSE plants was unlawful. This eliminated 3.8 million cubic meters from the association’s annual quota. At a press conference this week, he informed that the country had drafted a toleration for 2.5 million cubic meters. Including Tesla deliveries, 1.8 million cubic meters would still be missing, which is why “all options are on the table”.
With the WSE boss Andre Bähler did not explicitly want to terminate the Tesla contract at the event threaten, but indirectly indicated that it is a possibility. However, he also mentioned that there is generally enough water available for Tesla and everyone else in the area. The country only has to create the conditions for this by allowing the full production volume from the plant, the approval of which the court had declared illegal.
And following the WSE, as it was said at the press conference (see photo above), with its Water warnings since the beginning of the Tesla project had received little attention, the country now apparently had short-term understanding. On Wednesday there was a crisis meeting in the Brandenburg State Chancellery, reports the BZ. The result: In the event of a water shortage, the WSE may, according to a new toleration, pump a further 1.3 million cubic meters of water in addition to the 2.5 million cubic meters. Together, this corresponds exactly to the amount that was lost as a result of the verdict.
Gigafactory termination is no longer an issue
According to the WSE, the contract with Tesla includes a volume of 1.8 million cubic meters of water per year, but only 1.3 million consumption is permitted following approval. This seems to have solved the problem of water shortages in the Gigafactory area for the time being: “The WSE is withdrawing the decision to terminate the contract today,” said the mayor of a member municipality of the BZ. The association will also lift a development freeze that it had previously imposed, so that the reserves do not become even scarcer.
The water for the Tesla production in Grünheide can now flow, and for the time being there is enough left over to cope with the expected influx of employees in the Gigafactory. For next Tuesday is the Handover of the first 30 Model Y Performance on the premises planned. In addition to the customers, Tesla boss Elon Musk and federal political celebrities are also expected.