Tesla factory in Brandenburg is about to be approved

2022-03-03T10:55:14.651Z

Tesla factory in Brandenburg is about to be approved Created: 03/03/2022 11:47 am A decision on the approval of the US electric car manufacturer Tesla's factory in Grünheide near Berlin is approaching. © Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/dpa The long approval process for Tesla's first car factory in Europe is about to be completed. However, the plant is already there - and yet production cannot beg

Tesla factory in Brandenburg is about to be approved

Created: 03/03/2022 11:47 am

A decision on the approval of the US electric car manufacturer Tesla's factory in Grünheide near Berlin is approaching.

The long approval process for Tesla's first car factory in Europe is about to be completed.

However, the plant is already there - and yet production cannot begin immediately.

Potsdam/Grünheide - Approval for the factory of US electric car manufacturer Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin is imminent.

The Brandenburg State Chancellery said on Thursday that the emission control approval process for the electric car and battery factory was about to be completed.

The project is being followed with interest nationwide.

According to information from the German Press Agency, a positive decision is expected for Tesla.

As is usual with such procedures, there are conditions.

Because the size of the factory means that a very extensive decision is expected, numerous conditions are also expected.

Tesla built the plant - its first "Gigafactory" in Europe - via around 20 early approvals.

This is possible if a positive decision can be expected.

The Brandenburg State Chancellery invited to a press conference on Friday (March 4) at 3:30 p.m. with Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD), Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) and Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) in Potsdam, among others.

There should be information about the process.

Up to 500,000 cars planned per year

The first trees on the site were cleared about two years ago.

The plan is to produce up to 500,000 cars per year in an initial phase with around 12,000 employees.

Conservationists and residents fear negative consequences for the environment, they also consider the water supply to be at risk.

Tesla boss Elon Musk had hoped to start production as early as summer 2021.

But the date kept getting pushed back.

One reason was that the company had added the construction and operation of a battery factory to its application for a permit.

After the updated application was received, a discussion began of hundreds of objections from critics, which the country repeated after criticism from environmental groups over a deadline.

Other requirements must be met

However, even with the approval, Tesla cannot start production immediately.

The "Handelsblatt" reported on Thursday, citing the Brandenburg State Office for the Environment, that the company had to meet further requirements and provide evidence before the plant could be put into operation.

Tesla had always rejected concerns from environmentalists.

In a court dispute over additional water pumping in the Eggersdorf waterworks, which also supplies Tesla, an oral hearing is scheduled for Friday before the Frankfurt (Oder) administrative court.