Brandenburg
Approval process for Tesla factory is still ongoing
Shell for the future factory on the building site in Grünheide. Photo: Patrick Pleul / dpa
© dpa-infocom GmbH
Time could be running out: Tesla boss Elon Musk is hoping that his new factory can officially start testing this year. The approval is pending – there are several reasons.
The date for the official start of production at the Tesla car factory in Grünheide near Berlin is still open – because the approval process is not over.
Tesla boss Elon Musk had hoped when visiting a festival at the construction site of his plant in October that the first cars could roll off the production lines by December at the latest. But when exactly the state of Brandenburg will decide on the environmental permit is unclear after the end of a digital hearing from critics.
“After the online consultation has been completed, the statements made will continue to be checked,” said the Ministry of the Environment in Potsdam. “In addition, there are still documents pending from the authorities and the developer Tesla.” According to the environmental department, this involves statements from the authorities involved and Tesla’s work in the area of pollution control and water law. The approval process is therefore ongoing.
Brandenburg’s Environment Minister Axel Vogel (Greens) cannot yet name a point in time for the decision: “In order to be able to achieve this in a legally secure manner, it is also necessary that appropriate reports are available,” he told Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB). “It is regrettable that not all reports are available in this quality.” He could not judge how quickly this information would be given. “Therefore, I cannot give a forecast as to when they will then be finally checked.”
So far, Tesla is building through several early approvals. A green light is generally expected in Brandenburg, even if there might be conditions. Because a basis for early approval is a positive forecast for the entire project.
For a few weeks now, Tesla has stopped delivering electric cars this year. Series production and the start of deliveries are no longer expected before the end of the year, even if vehicles are already being produced after approval has been granted, as the company said at the end of November.
Environmental groups have tried several times to overturn early permits. Among other things, they fear problems with drinking water. Tesla rejects this.