It was not until the end of January that the Tesla factory in the German state of Brandenburg had to stop production for two weeks. The reason at the time was a gap in the parts supply chain due to attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels in the Red Sea. Now the plant is threatened with another involuntary break. The responsible water board has been warned because the contamination levels in the wastewater are too high.
Measurements allegedly showed that there was far too much phosphorus and total nitrogen (sum of inorganic and organic nitrogen, To.) in Grünheide, where the factory is located, is led to the sewage system. According to reports from news magazine Stern and RTL Exklusiv, in some cases six times the permitted limit was reached. In a letter, the Straußberg-Erkner water association called on all mayors in the region to close the sewerage to Tesla.
Tesla: Have our own processing factory
In a written response to the allegations, a spokeswoman for the factory told the news channel ntv that the German branch of the American car manufacturer had its own wastewater treatment plant. Only the waste water from the sanitary facilities and the company kitchen would be fed into the municipal network. The Berliner Wasserbetriebe said the drinking water was not contaminated.
Reports of further violations of environmental regulations
The Tesla factory in Grünheide has already caused a stir in the past due to alleged violations of occupational health and safety and environmental regulations. The ‘Stern’ claims to have discovered serious industrial accidents and the leakage of hundreds of liters of oil into the ground.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
