Current progress in clearing the site for the future Gigafactory Berlin

Tesla chose for his Gigafactory 4, the territory near Berlin, in Grünheide. This decision was made for several reasons. Brandenburg authorities are very happy to meet the American automaker in their homeland. Supporting a company that creates electric vehicles that do not pollute the environment is one of the main intentions.

The second important problem that Tesla can solve is to provide the jobs that the people of Brandenburg need so much. Last week, the Federal Employment Agency announced that almost 80,000 people were unemployed in Brandenburg. The last time, at this time of year, the unemployment rate in this region was so low only in 1991. Tesla can give the region about 8,000 jobs.

But opinions regarding the construction of the Grünheide plant were divided into two groups. One part of the people is worried about deforestation and the water supply of the settlement, another part of the people has already studied the details of the construction and do not see the danger, so they are glad to welcome Tesla here.

In order to give the necessary explanations to people, Tesla opened the Citizens Information Office. But, despite the presence of questions, according to the Wiwo news agency, none of the local citizens visitsit. Only two men from Dresden visit the office and talk with a Tesla employee. They were not directly affected, but they were already actively involved in the project Stuttgart 21. After the conversation, they are enthusiastic: “They are really ready. They even counted trees that were supposed to be cut down on the site,” says one of them.

The first phase of the Gigafactory 4 must be achieved within one year. Initially, it will produce 150,000 electric vehicles per year with more than 3,000 workers. Later, Gigafactory will be expanded and will produce 500,000 vehicles with a total staff of 8,000.

At the moment, ammunition from the Second World War is being searched in the territory of the future factory. Bomb clearance is already taking place “We talked to Tesla in advance and started to clean up the areas where construction should begin,” says Martin Burmeister, spokesman for the Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior. More than 85 workers are currently researching and exporting ammunition every day. On January 27, 7 World War II bombs were successfully detonated by an ordnance disposal service. “A third of 300 hectares has already been cleared. We expect to be ready for the agreed deadline on March 31,” says Burmeister.

Source:  dpa / Pleul

Deforestation of 90 hectares of industrial forest should be completed before the start of the growing season, which begins in March. Experts say that the ambitious schedule of the American automaker could really work. Preparatory work is going well.

According to some people, all animals that live in this area also need to be relocated. There are sand lizards, smooth snakes, forest ants, bats and many nesting birds. But according to Christiane Schröder, managing director of NABU Brandenburg, this is not necessary: ​​“The only thing that would have to be resettled before cleared the territory is the bats living there. This is also possible during this period,” says Schröder. At the moment, two trees with bat colonies have been discovered at the site. The animals will be moved to boxes, then they will be moved to another place on a new tree.

According to forest experts, the project should not fail due to clearing. Local companies have the technology to handle this challenge.

According to the Federal Law on Emissions Control, Tesla has filed an application for the speedy adoption of measures for the speedy cleaning of forests. Early approval can be granted, according to the responsible ministry of agriculture, environment and climate protection in Brandenburg.

If the application is not satisfied, cleaning should be carried out only after vegetation in the fall. According to experts, the German government will strive to do everything as expected by Tesla. The prestige of Germany as a country in which enterprises can be built depends on this. “After Stuttgart 21 and BER, we have to show that we can also be fast and that it is worth investing here.”

Follow me on Twitter  Eva Fox 🦊

Featured image: @Gf4Tesla / Twitter