The citizens of Grünheide in Germany are set to play a pivotal role in the planned expansion of the local Tesla factory. Starting next week, from July 19th to August 18th, they will have the opportunity to voice their concerns and contribute to the approval process for the project.
Brandenburg’s Environment Ministry announced that the project’s application documents will be publicly accessible online and at local offices such as the State Environment Agency and town halls.
Tesla has ambitious plans to double the capacity of its Grünheide factory to one million cars per year.
However, the planned expansion has sparked criticism from environmental organizations. The factory’s location, partly within a water protection area, has raised concern among conservationists. The expansion would necessitate not only a new environmental permit but also increased water and electricity supplies. Despite these issues, the state government has assured Tesla’s CEO, Elon Musk, of their support for the factory’s expansion.
The ministry revealed that Tesla plans to construct an additional large hall to accommodate extra production units. Moreover, the company intends to make optimizations to the existing production facilities. One key goal of the expansion is to increase the capacity for battery storage production from the current 50 gigawatt hours to 100 gigawatt hours per year.
The public is invited to submit objections to the project from July 19 to September 18, 2023. Based on the feedback, a discussion date could be set for October 23 in the Erkner town hall, reports RBB.
The Grünheide plant, known as Giga Berlin, has been operational since last March. It has yet to reach its initial production target of 500,000 cars per year. Currently, with a workforce of around 10,000, the factory produces approximately 5,000 vehicles per week, which equates to around 250,000 cars annually. With the proposed expansion, Tesla aims to significantly increase these production figures.
