Germany Officially Approves 500,000 Vehicle Tesla Production
The Berlin Gigafactory is preparing for production after news from the State of Brandenburg confirms that Tesla has finally won its environmental approval.
“The project, which was approved with the 536-page decision, includes the plant for the production of up to 500,000 vehicles per year, aluminum smelting plants and an aluminum foundry, plants for surface treatment, heat generation, and storage. The facility also includes battery cell production, an operational wastewater treatment plant, a fire brigade equipment house, a high-bay warehouse, as well as laboratories and workshops,”
500,000 vehicles per year, a battery factory and supporting infrastructure is a great start, especially considering the reported 3000 people hired to work at Giga Berlin already. And though the process has taken longer than Tesla would have liked (The Tesla application doc was reported to be over 23,000 pages long, across 66 binders), it was still a well-regarded project for the region.
District Administrator Rolf Lindemann remarked that the factory benefits the region, evidenced by the fact that regardless of opposition it still managed this environmental approval in a relatively short time. “The Oder-Spree district described the Tesla Gigafactory as a real stroke of luck for the development of our region. We have therefore mobilized all our strength to help turn this unique opportunity into a visible success.” he said.
And while this is a big step forward for the company and region, there are conditions before Giga Berlin can actually begin production. First off, the approval is subject to a one month period where the approval itself is open to objections. A notice of the approval is planned to be published in local newspapers and the internet for two weeks; and during the month after, objections to the approval will be taken by the state.
Tesla will also need to meet about 400 other conditions that relate to things like air pollution control and wastewater processes, which the company confirms they have plans to swiftly cover within the next two weeks.
While this seems like quite a bit of work, Brandenburg noted that Tesla can start or continue further construction on the factory, and that objections to the project no longer have a “suspensive effect”. So provided Tesla meets provisions like the installation of measuring devices for air pollutants, and fire protections, they should be able to get checked off by the authorities and finally begin production.