Photo: Tesla
Tesla Giga Berlin’s opening was preceded by epic struggles with environmentalist groups and the local authorities. Far from over, these will not stop the American EV maker to seek to significantly expand operations at the Gruenheide gigafactory.
If anybody imagined that the German environmentalist groups would just give up the moment Tesla would start operating the Giga Berlin factory, they were wrong. Just a couple of days ago, Green League has asked the Oder-Spree district to revoke Tesla Gigafactory Berlin’s operating license. The group used an earlier incident at the facility’s paint shop as a reason behind its request.
According to rbb24, about two to three liters of the paint mixture ran into an unpaved access road following the incident. The State of Brandenburg dismissed the Green League’s request saying that it sees no danger to the groundwater due to the Giga Berlin incident, which had no impact beyond the premises of the plant.
Tesla Giga Berlin is in the final stage of getting the full environmental approval, with 16 out of 18 requirements already being met. The remaining two would be checked in the coming weeks, as this requires the factory to reach full operation. A larger audit is scheduled from May 9 to May 20 to document full compliance with the requirements.
Tesla does not worry about that, though, and is already planning to expand operations at Giga Berlin. The same rbb24 reports that Tesla seeks to purchase a massive 100 hectares (247 acres) of land near its production facility in Gruenheide. Tesla currently owns 300 hectares (741 acres) of land where the Giga Berlin stands. The additional land will be used to build a freight station and storage facilities while using the rest of the property to expand manufacturing operations in the future.
Construction is not expected to start earlier than June 2023, and Tesla might face the same hurdles it experienced when it started building Giga Berlin. A lot can happen and we know the environmentalist groups can become very active, as the land is still in a water protection area. There’s also a pine forest growing on the land, which would further complicate things.
According to rbb24, about two to three liters of the paint mixture ran into an unpaved access road following the incident. The State of Brandenburg dismissed the Green League’s request saying that it sees no danger to the groundwater due to the Giga Berlin incident, which had no impact beyond the premises of the plant.
Tesla Giga Berlin is in the final stage of getting the full environmental approval, with 16 out of 18 requirements already being met. The remaining two would be checked in the coming weeks, as this requires the factory to reach full operation. A larger audit is scheduled from May 9 to May 20 to document full compliance with the requirements.
Tesla does not worry about that, though, and is already planning to expand operations at Giga Berlin. The same rbb24 reports that Tesla seeks to purchase a massive 100 hectares (247 acres) of land near its production facility in Gruenheide. Tesla currently owns 300 hectares (741 acres) of land where the Giga Berlin stands. The additional land will be used to build a freight station and storage facilities while using the rest of the property to expand manufacturing operations in the future.
Construction is not expected to start earlier than June 2023, and Tesla might face the same hurdles it experienced when it started building Giga Berlin. A lot can happen and we know the environmentalist groups can become very active, as the land is still in a water protection area. There’s also a pine forest growing on the land, which would further complicate things.
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