Tesla plans to open Berlin plant in July despite delays – media report
dpa
Tesla sticks to its timetable and wants to open its "gigafactory" in Grünheide, near Berlin, in the summer despite recent delays, industry sources told German newswire dpa. The start of production is still planned in July, according to a dpa report carried by business daily Handelsblatt. The processing of objections following a public hearing in autumn 2020 had led to construction delays, throwing the US carmaker's schedule into doubt. Tesla has still not received final environmental project clearance from regional authorities, but German law allows the company to proceed with construction on the basis of provisional licenses. "A decision is considered possible by the end of March or early April," the article says.
The Berlin plant will be Tesla's first major production facility in Europe, and will have major repercussions for the country's automotive industry. The first electric cars are expected to roll off the production line in the summer. Once the initial expansion phase is complete, the factory is set to employ up to 12,000 people, who will produce 500,000 cars per year for the European market, according to Tesla plans. The company also wants to turn the site into the world's largest battery cell plant.
