The factory premises of the Tesla Gigafactory Berlin Brandenburg (aerial view) Photo: picture alliance/dpa
From BZ/dpa
According to the authorities, a hazardous substance escaped in June in a warehouse of the US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin without getting into the environment.
On June 28, the Oder-Spree district learned of the escape of cathode material in an external warehouse in the Freienbrink industrial park, a spokesman announced on Friday. “It was not a regular delivery that was planned, but an incorrect disposition.” The material did not get into the soil and groundwater. It is used in the manufacture of batteries. First, the “Märkische Oderzeitung” reported.
The Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment announced that Tesla had reported the exit of the cathode material in the system. As a result, the State Environment Agency visited the site unannounced on June 28th. At that time, the leaked substance had already been completely absorbed and placed in a hazardous substance container for interim storage until disposal. According to the Ministry, the plant in the commercial area does not require an environmental permit. What Tesla stores there was initially unclear. The company did not comment.
The district announced that the delivery was intended for an external hazardous materials warehouse outside of Brandenburg. However, the logistics staff could not have assigned it directly and therefore not been able to sort it out. “Otherwise, an immediate return would have been arranged.” The newspaper reported that concerned emergency services from the Tesla factory fire brigade wrote to the editors of the moz.de website at the end of October. The employees were in danger from dangerous carcinogenic substances.
Tesla has been officially producing vehicles in Grünheide since March and, according to its own statements, employs more than 7,000 people. Later there should be 12,000 employees. The company is preparing to expand production. A battery factory is under construction on the company premises. The commercial area is nearby.
Environmentalists and local residents have reservations about the car factory, mainly because of the water consumption and potential groundwater contamination. Part of the area is in the water protection area. In April, a slightly water-polluting liquid leaked on the Tesla site. According to the Oder-Spree district, it did not get into the sewage system or groundwater.