Production at the Tesla factory in Brandenburg comes to a standstill after a power outage. A spokeswoman for the German Press Agency said this. According to police, the cause is a burning electricity pole. “We are investigating the initial suspicion that it was deliberate arson,” said a spokesman. The State Criminal Police Office has started an investigation; they would be led in all directions. Tesla itself says it assumes there will be an attack.
The power outage apparently affects a larger area. According to the police, it was triggered by a burning electricity pylon that is standing freely in a field and is not fenced in. As she announced in the morning, the fire department was called to the fire in the Gosen-Neu Zittau area (Märkisch Oderland district) at around 5:15 a.m. and began extinguishing the fire. Gosen-Neu Zittau borders Grünheide in close proximity to the so-called Tesla Gigafactory.
A Tesla spokeswoman said the factory was evacuated as a result of the power outage. After consultation with the provider Edis, it is not assumed that production can start up again quickly. The factory is the group’s only one in Europe.
Authorities have not yet commented on a possible connection with protests around the Tesla factory site. Around 80 to 100 environmental activists have been occupying part of the state forest in Brandenburg near the plant since Thursday; The company wants to have this cleared if its site is expanded. The activists have built around ten tree houses several meters high and have announced that they want to hold out for as long as possible.
Two weeks ago, almost two thirds of the citizens of Grünheide spoke out in a resident survey against a development plan to expand the plant. The local council is expected to decide on this in May. The citizens’ vote is not legally binding, but is considered an important signal.