Tesla Receives Initial Authorisation For German Plant Expansion

POTSDAM, Germany, Oct 16 (Bernama-dpa) -- Tesla has secured the first phase of approval for expanding its factory near Berlin. The state environmental agency in Brandenburg has granted initial environmental authorisation, the regional Ministry of the Environment confirmed in Potsdam on Tuesday.

"This includes, among other things, the construction of another large hall to house the additional production units," the ministry added.

In addition, changes and optimisations to existing facilities are planned, reported German news agency dpa.

It added that no further forest would have to be cleared for this. The plans in question involve an expansion on the existing site of Tesla's only electric car factory in Europe.

Tesla wants to double production in the small town of Grünheide just outside Berlin from a planned 500,000 cars a year – which has not yet been reached – to 1 million a year. The storage capacity for the production of battery cells is also to be increased.

Tesla submitted a three-part application for the expansion. The company had made it clear that it was sticking to its expansion plans, but that the timetable was open due to the difficult market situation.

Almost 12,000 people work in the Grünheide plant.

--BERNAMA-dpa