Giga Berlin grows without asking for more water: how Tesla plans to supply its new 536,000 m² hall
Tesla is preparing a second production hall in Grünheide and says the water already contracted with WSE covers the expansion too. The key: recycling production water and a new on-site plant that also treats sanitary wastewater.
Giga Berlin, Tesla's only car factory in Europe, is getting ready for its next step: a second production hall of around 536,000 m². The most interesting part is water. According to "rbb24", Tesla says the water volumes already contracted with local supplier WSE will be enough for the expansion too, thanks to recycling.
What is being built in Grünheide
The new hall would rise north of the current one, which measures about 219,000 m². The package also includes a dedicated electrical substation and an expanded water treatment plant. According to "rbb24", Tesla will file the documents for its second partial permit in December, and construction could start in 2027. In the long run the plant could reach up to 1 million cars a year. We covered the hall plan in our earlier article.
Photo: Tesla
Water: near-complete recycling
Tesla already recycles all of its production process wastewater on site, according to its impact report as cited by "Tagesspiegel". The numbers show it: fresh water use fell from 456,953 m³ in 2024 to 304,734 m³ in 2025, from 2.16 m³ to 1.51 m³ per Model Y. Tesla compares this with an industry average of 2.84 m³ per car.
Chart: notateslakiller.com, based on Tesla data
The new plant treats sanitary water too
For the expansion, Tesla plans an additional water loop and a new on-site treatment plant that will also process sanitary wastewater. Total use would grow with the new hall and extra staff, but the factory would not send more sanitary wastewater to the public network. That way, the volumes contracted with the Wasserverband Strausberg-Erkner (WSE) should cover the larger plant as well. Tesla has briefed local mayors, WSE leadership and environmental groups on the plans.
Photo: Tesla
The WSE contract and permits
The original 2020 contract allowed up to 1.8 million m³ a year. After the new 2025 agreement, Tesla returned around 377,000 m³ a year, freeing water for other communities in the region. The limit now stands at 1.4 million m³. Permits come from Brandenburg's Landesamt für Umwelt (LfU), which approved the first expansion stage in October 2024.
A brief note on the controversy: part of the factory lies in a water protection zone, and environmental groups and some residents continue to watch the issue closely. Tesla rejects the concerns.
What it means for drivers
- More Model Ys made in Europe: a bigger factory means faster deliveries across Europe.
- Cars built with less water: 1.51 m³ per car in 2025, below the industry average.
- A realistic timeline: documents in December, construction in 2027 at the earliest.
- See also the Berlin-built Model Y Standard with Super Manifold V2.
