As of: March 15, 2024, 3:25 p.m
Comments
Press
Split
The area of the Neuenhagen substation.
© Patrick Pleul/dpa
Brandenburg's Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) assumes that the recent heated discussions about the US electric vehicle manufacturer's plant in Grünheide will calm down somewhat.
During his visit on Wednesday, US billionaire Elon Musk expressed confidence-building statements about the Grünheide location both in front of the workforce and in discussions with representatives of the state governments of Brandenburg and Berlin.
Neuenhagen - “And at the end we had the feeling that we parted in a very good mood,” said Steinbach when asked on Friday on the sidelines of a meeting in Neuenhagen near Berlin.
“If we now manage to take many of the population's concerns into account through the (...) submitted modified B-Plan (development plan) by leaving 70 hectares of forest standing, (...) then I believe, “We’ll be back in somewhat calmer waters in the foreseeable future.”
After the attack on the plant's power supply, there was recently a "very big media hype," said Steinbach.
That was also important because, in his opinion, it was terrorism.
Now he assumes that everything will “calm down a bit”.
In a survey, a majority of residents rejected Tesla's expansion plans.
In view of the resistance, which is also manifested in a protest camp, the municipality of Grünheide presented proposals for a new version of the corresponding development plan on its website on Thursday.
According to this, among other things, instead of the more than 100 hectares that were originally intended for clearing to expand the site, only around 50 hectares of forest will be cleared.
On the sidelines of the meeting in Neuenhagen, Berlin's Economics Senator Franziska Giffey (SPD) once again referred to the great importance of the Tesla factory with 12,500 employees for the capital region.
“This plant will make a contribution to the transport transition, the mobility transition and climate neutrality by producing electric mobility,” she said.
“There are thousands of jobs there, there are development steps that are being taken for a sustainable region.
And for us, Tesla is also an important business location in Berlin.
And very crucial for the progressive development that our region is making.” Of course, the interests of the local people must also be taken into account and concerns and worries must be taken seriously.
dpa