Elon Musk green light: Brandenburg allows Tesla Gigafactory

Now it can finally begin: the state of Brandenburg has given approval for the Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide. But it will likely be some time before the first cars roll off the assembly line for sale.

American electric car manufacturer Tesla It got the green light for its plant in Grünheide near Berlin about two years after construction began. The Brandenburg state government announced Friday that the state’s environment agency has granted approval under the Immigration Control Act with conditions.

Brandenburg state premier Dietmar Wojdick said the decision was a “little ray of sunshine” in difficult times. He sees it as “a very important step for the development of our country.”

There will be a time before Tesla and a time with Tesla, Woidke continues. Production of electric cars for sale could begin in a few weeks.

Originally planned to start in summer 2021

Trade unions also welcome approval. Birgitte Dietz, head of the IG Metall region in Berlin-Brandenburg-Saxony, told t-online: “For the first time in decades, a cluster is creating thousands of industrial jobs in East Germany – this is good news and a strong commitment to Germany as an investment location.”

IG Metall constantly urges automakers to “lead the way in electrification rather than go after others”. According to Diez, many companies have not realized the need for change for a long time. “So far, most of them have woken up.”

It was planned to start in the summer of last year. However, since Tesla is also building a battery factory in addition to the car factory, plans had to change. So far, the American company has built the semi-completed plant in Grünheide on the basis of preliminary approvals and therefore on its own responsibility.