Photo: Tesla
When Elon Musk announced Tesla would build a factory in Berlin, he said it would start manufacturing cars on July 1, 2021. In the end, the plant is actually in Grünheide, and July 1 is already a missed deadline. The new one was for the end of 2021, but even this target may fail after Tesla applied to manufacture cells at Giga Grünheide.
To fully understand the story, you’d better learn how construction approval works in Germany. You can either apply for it and wait for the final decision, or you can ask for temporary authorizations to get things going while the analysis process takes place. Tesla chose the second option, and it still lacks a final permit for its German factory.
This approval process includes public consultations. People make objections and suggestions which may take months to be analyzed. Every time you make a meaningful change in the construction plans, you must submit them to community scrutiny. Tesla has already made two of these public consultations.
The first one was when the plans were presented. After construction began in Grünheide, Tesla realized it would need to add 560 foundation piles under its press shop. That would probably be an easy task if the factory were not in a groundwater table area. All piles invaded the groundwater reserve, and Grünheide residents were not happy about that.
The second public consultation happened to approve the piles and some other changes. With the application to have the battery production line in Grünheide, Tesla will probably have to go through a third public scrutiny process, according to RBB24. Tesla had the intention to produce cells there from the very beginning.
What makes new consultations almost sure is that, apart from the cell plant, Tesla also decided to have two additional press lines at the factory. They will demand 1,180 new foundation piles. It will also add further steps to manufacturing and painting plastic components and reduce the body shop to a single production line.
The good news is that Tesla will reduce water consumption to 1.4 million cubic meters per year. That was a significant concern for Grünheide residents. The Frontal21 documentary “Turbo, Tempo, Tesla,” which told more about the environmental issues with Giga Grünheide, recently received the honorary award at the "Private-Medienpreis für Qualitätsjournalismus" prize in Switzerland.
This approval process includes public consultations. People make objections and suggestions which may take months to be analyzed. Every time you make a meaningful change in the construction plans, you must submit them to community scrutiny. Tesla has already made two of these public consultations.
The first one was when the plans were presented. After construction began in Grünheide, Tesla realized it would need to add 560 foundation piles under its press shop. That would probably be an easy task if the factory were not in a groundwater table area. All piles invaded the groundwater reserve, and Grünheide residents were not happy about that.
The second public consultation happened to approve the piles and some other changes. With the application to have the battery production line in Grünheide, Tesla will probably have to go through a third public scrutiny process, according to RBB24. Tesla had the intention to produce cells there from the very beginning.
What makes new consultations almost sure is that, apart from the cell plant, Tesla also decided to have two additional press lines at the factory. They will demand 1,180 new foundation piles. It will also add further steps to manufacturing and painting plastic components and reduce the body shop to a single production line.
The good news is that Tesla will reduce water consumption to 1.4 million cubic meters per year. That was a significant concern for Grünheide residents. The Frontal21 documentary “Turbo, Tempo, Tesla,” which told more about the environmental issues with Giga Grünheide, recently received the honorary award at the "Private-Medienpreis für Qualitätsjournalismus" prize in Switzerland.
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