Largest battery factory in the world – Tesla wants billions from EU

[TruckElectric]

30.01.2021 - Berlin, Germany - Pressenza Berlin


Translation in picture - Salami tactics at Tesla battery factory ÖDP warns of a shortage of drinking water.

“Salami tactics” refers to a divide and conquer approach, which aims to split up the opposition. The expression evokes the idea of slicing up one’s opposition in the same way as one might slice up a salami.

Tesla wants tax money for the largest battery factory in the world. This news comes as a surprise to the state of Brandenburg, among others. The Tesla battery factory is to be built in Grünheide right next to the Gigafactory for electric cars. According to press reports, the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology has allowed the US corporation to “provisionally begin measures”, albeit at its own risk.

“This confirms our worst fears. It is a scandal that even more land is now to be concreted over without an application being submitted. Tesla is trying to make a profit at the expense of European taxpayers. The protection of water, people and nature at the site is falling by the wayside just like the rule of law!” Christian Rechholz, Federal Chairman of the ÖDP, is particularly disappointed with the Federal Minister of Economics. “How can Peter Altmaier (CDU) ignore the concerns of many citizens of Brandenburg about the drinking water and the endangering of a nature reserve and allow the US corporation another ‘provisional start of measures’, at its own risk? We should not forget that there is still no final building permit for the electric car factory.”

Scientists have long warned of extreme drought, especially in Brandenburg. Alone the ongoing construction of the gigafactory for the electric cars is a threat to the drinking water protection area upon which it is being built. “With the additional construction of the world’s largest battery factory, Brandenburg and Berlin will finally be left high and dry. But you can’t simply sacrifice our precious drinking water for profit,” says Christian Rechholz. “This gigantomania endangers people and nature in Brandenburg and Berlin!”

Manuela Ripa, the MEP of the ÖDP, also warns about the approach of the Federal Ministry of Economics: “Very close attention must now be paid to ensuring that no European environmental law is broken in Brandenburg, as was already the case with the neighbouring gigafactory,” says the EU politician. “The planned battery factory and the gigafactory, which has so far been built only on the basis of provisional building permits, are located in a drinking water protection area that is important for the region. Here, the German authorities have a responsibility to check very carefully whether the safety of the drinking water will be affected. In view of the aggressive approach we have already had to observe with the gigafactory, the situation is highly alarming.” The MEP points to the cascade of prior approvals leading to faits accomplis. “There is clearly a pattern of cheating to get past the current law in order to end up with a state of affairs that is no longer traceable. This scam grossly violates the principles of the rule of law.”

Manuela Ripa had already in September had confirmation from the EU Commission, in response to a parliamentary question, that the German authorities should have carried out a comprehensive impact assessment for the Tesla gigafactory in Brandenburg. However, this did not happen. “Here, too, the end does not justify the means: the drinking water supply of citizens must not be endangered in the name of innovation.“


SOURCE: PRESSENZA

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[Crissa]

Water infiltration is important. This is why the Bay Area has so many superfund sites... So we should look at these things ahead of time.

Though the new dry-style batteries that Tesla is making should be much easier to keep from leaving residues that'll get in the storm water.

-Crissa

 

[ldjessee]

Is this on land that was not being used to grow trees to make cardboard (a process that is water intensive)?

 

[Crissa]

Is this on land that was not being used to grow trees to make cardboard (a process that is water intensive)?

Yes, but the mill isn't. The plantation would be net positive water-infiltration.

-Crissa

 

[ldjessee]

Yes, but the mill isn't. The plantation would be net positive water-infiltration.

-Crissa

Only until the trees are cut down on whatever cycle they would be cut down at... I thought it would be 7 to 10 years, but just looked it up and it is 3.6 to 5 years between planting and harvesting of trees for cardboard (since they just grind it all up and turn it all into pulp). So, it is very cyclical and varies as to how good it would be at filtering the water...

And every 3 to 5 years, a dump of stuff into the water table from all the machinery out there cutting down the trees. Even those nifty tree processors use chainsaw blades and they loss a lot of oil during use...

 

[Crissa]

Yes, but it's a tony amount of oil compared to a factory. Storm water is messy. The worst generators of spoiled stormwater is suburban homes.

-Crissa

 

[rr6013]

Yes, but it's a tony amount of oil compared to a factory. Storm water is messy. The worst generators of spoiled stormwater is suburban homes.

-Crissa

Soils, water table or aquifer drinking water were known site conditions. This belongs to Germany and state of Brandenburg. Percolation tests, Engineered fills and barrier sheet application under the soils could have all been foreseen and made a requirement. Storm drain runoff directed to weir boxes or detention ponds to drop out toxins.

Sky-is-falling hysteria after commencement of construction operations Brandenburg owns. Remediation, filtration and treatment are show stoppers at this point for Tesla. They have no choice.

I don’t see politics intruding but old fashioned incompetence is the least of many downstream impacts. Without resolution, local activism fills the void and TSLA have a building for rent in Germany.

 

[TruckElectric]

and TSLA have a building for rent in Germany.

That would devastate TSLA stock.

 

[Crissa]

Well, as I said, Tesla specifically is choosing technologies with lower impacts.

But they should be more open about what they're doing for remediation and catching run-off. Hiding from inspectors only heightens the risk of abrupt shut-down.

-Crissa

 

[TruckElectric]

On 07/20/2020 the

reported :
The American electric car manufacturer Tesla wants to build some of its factory in Grünheide near Berlin on stilts - that causes a dispute. Electric cars are to be produced there in a year . The complete environmental approval for the factory by the state of Brandenburg is still missing, but Tesla can already erect the foundation and the shell at its own risk with an early approval. The site is partly in a drinking water protection area.

In the first application for construction, Tesla has not yet planned any piles. In a modified version that was published at the beginning of July, the company writes: "In some areas (press shop and foundry) the foundations are built using prefabricated driven piles (...) in order to be able to transfer the loads accordingly into the subsoil." In order not to wait for final approval, Tesla has not yet applied for it.

Brandenburg takes the planned use of piles for part of the factory under the microscope: "We check that, like everything that is in the changed documents," said the spokeswoman for the Ministry of the Environment, Frauke Zelt, in Potsdam.

Concerns about the water balance
The conservationist Julia Neigel, who wrote five petitions for part of the “Citizens' Initiative against Gigafactory Grünheide”, fears the consequences for drinking water. "If the site is sealed, no more rainwater can seep away and no drinking water will get in," said Neigel, who became known as a singer. The salt water stored there in the depths could rise, which would have negative consequences for the drinking water. The region is already suffering from water scarcity. Neigel calls for an investigation committee in the state parliament and a construction freeze.

Tesla doesn't share the concerns. Pile foundations are a common and completely normal process - especially here in the region, say industry insiders. Post drifts are also common for drinking water protection areas. There are standards and regulations that stipulate the safe use and installation of piles. The planned steps would also have to be approved by the authorities.


And then on August 14, 2020 the TASMANIAN reported :

"Originally we believed that we would need up to 15,000 piles, in the end, it was still 1,100," said a Tesla spokesman, according to Freenet. He said the company now has the opportunity to change the concept and use only 500 to 550 piles. This is underlined Tesla's serious attitude to the needs of the region.


So who was in charge of operations for Tesla Gigafactory Berlin? Evan Horetsky "Mister Gigafactory"

On Oct. 22nd 2020 Electrek reported : Tesla fires 'Mister Gigafactory', the engineer behind its factory construction projects

From 15,000 piles to 500-550 is a colossal engineering error. The re-engineering effort caused by the protests had delayed Giga Berlin construction, cost $millions and Evan Horetsky his job.

 

[Crissa]

From 15,000 piles to 500-550 is a colossal engineering error. The re-engineering effort caused by the protests had delayed Giga Berlin construction, cost $millions and Evan Horetsky his job.

What it means is they chose smaller buildings that didn't need piles, that could drift independently on the soil.

I don't know that it was an error.

-Crissa

 

[TruckElectric]

I don't know that it was an error.

The error was in Evan not doing his homework.

 

[Crissa]

The error was in Evan not doing his homework.

Well, geopiers are hard to know for certain until you drill at each point. And you can change your requirements by changing the thickness of foundations and the height of buildings and even the number, breadth, and height of those buildings. The square footage is only going to get you the highest number.

-Crissa

 

[TruckElectric]

Well, geopiers are hard to know for certain until you drill at each point. And you can change your requirements by changing the thickness of foundations and the height of buildings and even the number, breadth, and height of those buildings. The square footage is only going to get you the highest number.

Crissa, you missed the whole point.

Had Evan done more research to find out the concerns over the watershed and drinking water(the community had to protest before Tesla did anything) there wouldn't have been a stoppage to the construction and re-engineer for less concrete pilings and they also found they didn't have to go as deep as originally planned.

 

[Crissa]

Crissa, you missed the whole point.

Had Evan done more research ...

What research could have been done?

Geopiers don't affect the water table. They're less deep than pilings. And what research could have been done to know that this would be the tipping point between provisional permit and none?

-Crissa

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