Tesla Gigafactory consumes three times less water than it should
Water consumption at the German Tesla Gigafactory (Giga Berlin) has always attracted the attention of environmentalists. Although Tesla has always emphasized that the plant is its most environmentally sustainable factory, protesters still insisted that the Model Y production base in Greenhead would rob local communities of precious water resources and harm the environment.
According to the German daily Der Tagesspiegel, the actual water consumption of Giga Berlin was much lower than the protesters expected. In 2023, Giga Berlin used only 451,654 cubic meters of water, while the approved annual water quota was 1.3 million cubic meters. Tesla achieved this goal by optimizing its production process: According to Tesla employees, Giga Berlin uses only 2.28 cubic meters of water per vehicle produced, which is 33% lower than the industry average of 3.68 cubic meters.
In comparison, other businesses in the area use much more water. The waste incineration plant in Premnice uses 23 million cubic meters of water every year, the oil refinery in Schwedt — 13 million cubic meters, and the LEAG coal power plant — as much as 44.8 million cubic meters.
Earlier, information appeared about a possible suspension of production at the plant of the American automaker Tesla due to a clear excess of permissible environmental pollution standards.
This plant was reconnected to the power grid yesterday, but the plant remained without power supply for a whole week.