The approval process for final building permits for Tesla’s Berlin-Brandenburg Gigafactory is still ongoing, the Environment Ministry of the German State of Brandenburg said on Wednesday (via Reuters).
Tesla and other relevant authorities have already submitted all of the documents necessary for approval, and the plans even cleared a second round of public objections last month. However, the government appears to be dragging its feet on a decision.
All of the work on the factory so far was done on the basis of preliminary building permits, but Tesla cannot start production at the facility before final permits go through. Tesla was originally expecting to start operations at Giga Berlin in December, but hope on that one seems all but lost.
Brandenburg Minister-President Dietmar Woidke said during a press conference on Monday that approval for Giga Berlin will “probably” come in early 2022.
Tesla has been forced to push back the expected opening of its German Gigafactory more than once, with CEO Elon Musk repeatedly slamming local authorities for the slow approval process and all the bureaucratic red tape involved.
Tesla is all set to start electric vehicle (EV) production at Giga Berlin as soon as the facility is green-lit. In addition to EVs, Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg will also produce up to 250 GWh/year in batteries to power them.
