Gas station in the party tent
Tesla causes numerous environmental accidents
September 28, 2023, 8:22 a.m
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There have been many environmental accidents at the Tesla factory in Brandenburg. This is reported by “Stern”. These include fires as well as spills of chemicals and diesel fuel.
There were a number of dangerous environmental accidents at the US car manufacturer Tesla’s factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg, which, according to experts, endanger the drinking water supply of the entire region. This is reported by “Stern”. The State Office for the Environment confirmed to the magazine that there have been a total of 23 accidents on the site since the factory opened. Witnesses also reported other cases that were apparently unknown to the authorities.
Among the 23 incidents officially reported by Tesla, seven were fires, spills of chemicals such as epoxy resin, hydraulic oil, paint, varnishes or diesel fuel. After a fire on September 20, 2020, according to a Tesla report, up to 300 liters of extinguishing water seeped into the ground. In addition, inspectors from the Oder-Spree district water authority discovered an illegal diesel filling station on the factory premises in July of this year, hidden in a white party tent. According to their own statements, they ordered the gas pumps to be dismantled immediately. According to “Stern” research, around 250 liters of diesel were said to have leaked there weeks before.
These incidents are explosive because Tesla’s factory is largely built in a drinking water protection area. The country’s water protection regulations therefore prohibit, for example, keeping more than 50 cows in this area. Because their excrement could contaminate the groundwater. According to experts, small amounts of pollutants are enough to endanger the drinking water supply for 170,000 people. “Just one leaked canister of oil or diesel on the Tesla factory property can be enough to contaminate the wells in Hohenbinde for many years, for example,” says Martin Pusch from the Leibniz Institute for Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB). Berlin. The Hohenbinde wells are only around one and a half kilometers away from the Tesla factory as the crow flies.
Brandenburg’s Environment Minister Axel Vogel admitted to “Stern” that problems had arisen on Tesla’s factory premises. But he could rule out the possibility that the groundwater beneath the factory was contaminated. When asked about Tesla’s illegal gas station, he said: “I’m not ready to give any further information now.”
The lower water authority responsible for controls at the plant said: “An intrusion of water-polluting substances into the soil cannot be completely ruled out either on the company’s premises or at any other location within the area of responsibility of the lower water authority of the Oder-Spree district.” However, the public water supply is not at risk. According to the report, Tesla itself did not comment on the allegations.