A recent meeting by the water association Strausberg-Erkner WSE on Wednesday evening determined that the company can supply Tesla’s Giga Berlin facility with water, but it would need to get more funding to do so. If WSE can secure more water supply for the area, it would be able to support not just the European Gigafactory’s operations, but other water needs of Tesla employees who may be moving to the area for work. 

The WSE’s meeting was open to members of the public, and about 40 residents were present at the meeting. Tesla enthusiast @gigafactory_4, who is among those documenting the progress of Giga Berlin, was present at the meeting. According to the enthusiast, there were several discussions about the procedure and water consumption of the upcoming facility, including the location of Giga Berlin’s water supply. 

Back in January, WSE announced in a press release that Giga Berlin’s water supply was fully secured yet, though the association did not specify why. In the recent meeting, the WSE clarified that it would need to get approval from the State Environment Agency before it can meet the water supply needs of the upcoming facility. This means more funding for the area’s water systems, according to WSE deputy head Gerd Windisch. 

https://t.co/LXSVUm3MCm

— Giga Berlin / Gigafactory 4 (@gigafactory_4) February 5, 2020

As noted in a Moz report, the WSE has generally produced about 10 million cubic meters of the water for the approximately 170,000 residents that it caters to in the area. Tesla’s Giga Berlin facility corresponds to the water needs of about 71,500 more people, which translates to about 3.3 million cubic meters per year. Overall, the WSE expects the area to need about 18 million cubic meters of water with Giga Berlin in operation. This includes the water needs of people who may be migrating to the area due to the facility. 

The region’s waters supply has been a pain point for some of Giga Berlin’s detractors, some of whom have held demonstrations to express their opposition to the facility in the past. According to the facility’s critics, Tesla’s arrival will compromise the water supply in the area.

This point seems to have been addressed by the WSE in its recent meeting, with the association stating that the area has problems with its water regardless of Giga Berlin’s presence. The WSE also noted that the State Environment Agency has known about these issues since talks with Tesla initially started last year. 

For now, the best course of action for WSE would be to secure an approval for more water supply in the area. The association has taken steps to meet this goal, with the WSE now waiting for approval from the state. Once these are done, additional investments can be decided, and Giga Berlin’s water supply challenges can be properly addressed.