An expansion of the premises of the Gigafactroy Grünheide has been planned for some time. A few weeks ago, Tesla held an information event to inform all citizens of the community about the further procedure and to receive positive feedback on future plans. It has now been announced that Tesla is allowed to expand its production facility in the municipality of Grünheide near Berlin. The municipal council approved the preparation of a new development plan. The vote was twelve to six, with one abstention. Tesla can now buy an additional area of ​​over 100 hectares of forest and build on the site.

According to initial information, Tesla would like to build logistics areas, a service center for customers, a daycare center and training rooms on the new site. A separate freight depot is also planned. According to Tesla, it would like to shift as much traffic as possible from road to rail. The previous Tesla site, on which the gigafactory, battery production and the associated buildings were built, already covers around 300 hectares. According to Tesla, around 12,000 employees are planned for the highest level of production. With the expansion, there could be even more employees.

Brandenburg's Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) believes that the course set for the expansion of the site is the right one. "I welcome the fact that the Grünheide municipal assembly, with its decision to renew the development plan for the site, has laid the foundation for giving further impetus to economic development at the site," he told the Deutsche Presse -Agency.

Environmentalists, on the other hand, complain that part of the area is in a water protection area, which prohibits the conversion of forest to another type of use. Tesla is reportedly searching for water himself. In the region, which is one of the driest in Germany, the dispute over water is now threatening to escalate.

Source: rbb