Tesla has announced plans to expand its Giga Berlin factory in Grünheide, Germany, starting in the first half of 2024.
The announcement was made by Tesla representatives on the sidelines of a public debate about the expansion plans. “The expansion will take place in several steps. The existing factory hall will be modernized first, and a water treatment plant will be built,” said the Tesla representatives, reports rbb24.
The company also has plans for a second production hall and a battery-recycling facility in the coming years. The discussions about the expansion are currently taking place among local residents, authorities, and Tesla representatives in Erkner. Several environmental groups and the Strausberg-Erkner Water Association have criticized Tesla for making multiple changes to the documents after their publication.
The State Office for the Environment, however, considers these changes to be lawful. “These are merely adjustments of numbers, corrections, or clarifications by the company,” the office stated.
The main point of contention is the factory’s water consumption. Over 1,000 objections to the factory expansion have been received by the State Environmental Office in recent months, focusing mainly on potential environmental impacts and concerns about water usage.
The water issue has been resolved in the current round of discussions in Erkner, and the focus has now shifted to the noise generated by the factory. Authorities will evaluate the debate before granting approval for Tesla’s expansion plans.
