Tesla gets final approval for 'gigafactory' near Berlin
After getting snarled up in German red tape, US electric car pioneer Tesla got the final go-ahead from authorities Friday,
paving the way for production to begin shortly at its "gigafactory" outside Berlin.
Officials in the eastern state of Brandenburg, where the factory sits, issued the final approval for the company's first production site in Europe.
The green light was "a big day for Brandenburg, a big step into the future" state leader Dietmar Woidke told a press conference, adding that the approval process had been a "mammoth task".
Brandenburg, formerly part of communist east Germany, is hoping for a job boost from the new factory and has profiled itself as a hub for the production of electric vehicles.
The beginning of production at the plant would be a "turning point for Germany" that showed it was possible to overcome bureaucracy and "do things faster", said analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Centre for Automotive Research.
The plant, in Grüneheide, to the southeast of Berlin, is slated to produce 500,000 vehicles a year.
Announced with much fanfare in November 2019, the project was warmly received by politicians in a country proud of its car-making tradition.
Elon Musk's Tesla benefited from an expedited preliminary approval process, allowing it to begin construction before receiving the final planning permission.
But the American manufacturer's early momentum was broken by a series of legal and administrative difficulties, in part prompted by angry locals with concerns over the environmental impact of the site.
READ ALSO: ‘Tesla isn’t above law’: Gigafactory construction near Berlin halted amid environmental concerns
Protected lizards
Together with national NGOs Nabu and Gruene Liga, residents did everything to stand in the way of the project, organising protests, making court appeals and writing open letters.
In 2020, courts ordered Tesla to stop work at the site after a complaint by local associations fearing the destruction of the habitat of endangered lizards and snakes.
The plant's massive demand for water was also a sore point for residents in an area that has been hit by summer droughts in the last three years.
Setbacks also gave Tesla the opportunity to amend its application, adding a massive yet-to-be-built battery plant next to the main factory.
Concerns over the build were dismissed by Tesla's rockstar CEO Musk, who sought to win over locals by hosting a country fair on the factory grounds in October.
Elon Musk gives an interview to the German media in Grünheide, Brandenburg. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Patrick Pleul
Thousands were in attendance at the event, where Musk declared his intention to begin production in November or December of this year.
The earlier target may have been achieved were it not for the extension of a public consultation deadline from mid-October to the end of November due to an administrative error.
"Seriously??!!" was the tweet Musk sent in response to the new delay, having already voiced his frustration at Germany's slow bureaucratic processes on several occasions.
READ ALSO: Tesla holds ‘Giga Fest’ at disputed German e-car factory
Works council
Had approval for the plant not been given, the costs for dismantling the work that had been done would have fallen on Tesla.
Production at the factory should begin almost immediately with Tesla having already made a "limited" number of vehicles in a test, a spokesman told AFP.
Tesla's next challenge is to find workers, while businesses in Germany are contending with shortages of skilled labour.
Employees already at the factory have seen to the organisation of a works council, against the American carmaker's protestations.
The shop-floor organisation is common to German industries, and hands workers a degree of influence over corporate decision-making.
Elections to the works council, which took place at the end of February, were nonetheless won by representatives of "Gigavoice", which is closer to management.
Currently between 2,500 and 3,000 people work at the plant, according to union sources, primarily more senior members of staff.
In time, the figure should rise to 12,000, according to local press reports, a figure which has not been confirmed by Tesla.
By Florian Cazeres
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Officials in the eastern state of Brandenburg, where the factory sits, issued the final approval for the company's first production site in Europe.
The green light was "a big day for Brandenburg, a big step into the future" state leader Dietmar Woidke told a press conference, adding that the approval process had been a "mammoth task".
Brandenburg, formerly part of communist east Germany, is hoping for a job boost from the new factory and has profiled itself as a hub for the production of electric vehicles.
The beginning of production at the plant would be a "turning point for Germany" that showed it was possible to overcome bureaucracy and "do things faster", said analyst Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Centre for Automotive Research.
The plant, in Grüneheide, to the southeast of Berlin, is slated to produce 500,000 vehicles a year.
Announced with much fanfare in November 2019, the project was warmly received by politicians in a country proud of its car-making tradition.
Elon Musk's Tesla benefited from an expedited preliminary approval process, allowing it to begin construction before receiving the final planning permission.
But the American manufacturer's early momentum was broken by a series of legal and administrative difficulties, in part prompted by angry locals with concerns over the environmental impact of the site.
READ ALSO: ‘Tesla isn’t above law’: Gigafactory construction near Berlin halted amid environmental concerns
Protected lizards
Together with national NGOs Nabu and Gruene Liga, residents did everything to stand in the way of the project, organising protests, making court appeals and writing open letters.
In 2020, courts ordered Tesla to stop work at the site after a complaint by local associations fearing the destruction of the habitat of endangered lizards and snakes.
The plant's massive demand for water was also a sore point for residents in an area that has been hit by summer droughts in the last three years.
Setbacks also gave Tesla the opportunity to amend its application, adding a massive yet-to-be-built battery plant next to the main factory.
Concerns over the build were dismissed by Tesla's rockstar CEO Musk, who sought to win over locals by hosting a country fair on the factory grounds in October.
Thousands were in attendance at the event, where Musk declared his intention to begin production in November or December of this year.
The earlier target may have been achieved were it not for the extension of a public consultation deadline from mid-October to the end of November due to an administrative error.
"Seriously??!!" was the tweet Musk sent in response to the new delay, having already voiced his frustration at Germany's slow bureaucratic processes on several occasions.
READ ALSO: Tesla holds ‘Giga Fest’ at disputed German e-car factory
Works council
Had approval for the plant not been given, the costs for dismantling the work that had been done would have fallen on Tesla.
Production at the factory should begin almost immediately with Tesla having already made a "limited" number of vehicles in a test, a spokesman told AFP.
Tesla's next challenge is to find workers, while businesses in Germany are contending with shortages of skilled labour.
Employees already at the factory have seen to the organisation of a works council, against the American carmaker's protestations.
The shop-floor organisation is common to German industries, and hands workers a degree of influence over corporate decision-making.
Elections to the works council, which took place at the end of February, were nonetheless won by representatives of "Gigavoice", which is closer to management.
Currently between 2,500 and 3,000 people work at the plant, according to union sources, primarily more senior members of staff.
In time, the figure should rise to 12,000, according to local press reports, a figure which has not been confirmed by Tesla.
By Florian Cazeres
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