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The U.S. company had said in planning documents that the factory
would need 372 cubic meters of water from the public drinking
water network per hour, sparking protests by local residents
earlier this month.
"Sounds like we need to clear up a few things! Tesla won't use
this much net water on a daily basis. It's possibly a rare peak
usage case, but not an everyday event", Musk said on Twitter on
Saturday.
On another environmental issue, Musk tweeted that only a small
part of the forest on the property that Tesla bought in the
outskirts of Berlin will be cut to construct the planned
factory.
"Also, this is not a natural forest -- it was planted for use as
cardboard," he said.
The U.S. carmaker announced plans last November to build its
first European car factory in Gruenheide, in the eastern state
of Brandenburg.
Politicians, unions and industry groups have welcomed the move,
saying it will bring jobs to the region, but environmental
groups have aired concerns and a Brandenburg water association
warned against "extensive and serious problems with the drinking
water supply and wastewater disposal" for the proposed factory.
Separately, German business daily Handelsblatt reported on
Sunday that Tesla had applied for subsidies for battery cell
production and research in Germany.
Tesla had no immediate comment on the matter.
(Reporting by Arno Schuetze; Editing by Helen Popper)
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