2023-10-23 20:24:40
US car manufacturer Tesla already wants to expand its factory in Grünheide, partly in a water protection area. This is what hearing critics is all about. Environmentalists stay away from the hearing and say why.
Recognizer.
The state of Brandenburg has rejected allegations from environmentalists against the hearing on the planned expansion of the US electric car manufacturer Tesla’s factory in Grünheide. Because documents as a basis for a hearing were partially blacked out and Tesla’s application had since been changed, environmentalists stayed away from the meeting.
“This is a completely normal procedural process,” said meeting leader André Zschiegner from the State Office for the Environment during the discussion in Erkner. The documents have been changed in the meantime, which is permissible. It’s just not allowed to create a completely new project. The documents do not have to be so specific that approval can be decided on. “It has to be roughly clear what will happen there.”
The environmental association Green League Brandenburg and the Association for Nature and Landscape stayed away from the hearing because the documents for the application are partly blacked out and newer versions are now available than those available for public display.
The site is partly in a water protection area
“The discussion is a farce,” said the state manager of the Green League, Michael Ganschow. “Of course we cannot check how significant the changes are.” Environmental associations and the Grünheide citizens’ initiative have concerns about the expansion because part of the site is in a water protection area.
Tesla wants to double its production capacity from the initially planned 500,000 cars to one million per year. According to the company’s latest information, around 250,000 vehicles are currently produced per year. The storage capacity in the production of battery cells is expected to increase from 50 to 100 gigawatt hours per year.
The company is submitting three-part applications for environmental approval to the state of Brandenburg for the expansion. Tesla does not expect any major hurdles for the first approval. The State Environment Agency approved the factory in 2022. Around 11,000 employees currently work in Grünheide.
Tesla regrets environmental incidents and rejects concerns
Tesla has regretted the release of substances in several environmental incidents on the site of the factory in Grünheide, but rejected concerns. “It can be ruled out that there was any environmental damage,” said Tesla representative Alexander Riederer when hearing from critics about the planned expansion of the factory in Erkner.
In one case, the soil was excavated and examined for contamination. “Every incident is one too many. (…) Of course, in the future we will try not to have any more incidents at all.” A local resident asked about the safety of the factory and demanded an apology from Tesla for incidents.
According to the State Office for the Environment, the car manufacturer has reported 26 environmental accidents since the factory opened in March last year. These include spilled substances such as paint, diesel and fires. According to the State Environment Agency, the incidents were not major incidents within the meaning of the Major Incident Ordinance. The “Stern” also reported that after a fire in September 2020, up to 300 liters of extinguishing water seeped into the ground. The State Environment Agency did not provide any information on this. (dpa)
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