Photo: @tobilindh/Twitter

Tesla continues the expansion of Giga Berlin by building a battery factory. The company's new plans are receiving positive feedback from Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke.

April 27, The Brandenburg Department of Agriculture, Environment and Climate Protection announced that Tesla is planning further improvements to its car factory, so it is changing its current application for approval under Section 4 of the Federal Emission Control Act. The amended application is reported to include the construction and operation of a battery cell manufacturing factory.

During the Q1 2021 Earnings Call, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company had already ordered most of its battery manufacturing equipment in Berlin, signaling progress in the company's plans to build a battery factory in Germany. "We have already ordered most of the equipment for battery production in Berlin," said Musk.

Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke was pleased with Tesla's plans to build a battery factory in Grünheide. “The application that Tesla will soon submit is modified--expanded with the construction of a battery manufacturing plant--this is positive news for Land [Brandenburg],” he said. "This is an additional investment that Tesla has obviously decided to make here."

The company's change in plans and expansion could lead to a later launch of the car factory. There is a possibility that the environmental permit application may have to be publicly interpreted again because Tesla also wants to include the construction and operation of a battery manufacturing plant. “If these additional investments now flow into the permit application, it goes without saying that the application documents must be revised and then the final word rests with the competent authorities,” Woidke said. “We are strongly encouraged to do everything in our power to ensure that all approvals for the production of vehicles in Grünheide are in accordance with the law. The further process is currently being discussed." 

This means that it has not yet been decided what procedural steps will be required of Tesla for the new construction application. As such, it is not clear what delay, if any, there will be for the launch of the car factory. Even if the approval of the expansion of the project delays the start of operation of Giga Berlin, this should not be cause for concern. With the approval of both the Automotive and Battery Factory at the same time, Tesla will be able to quickly begin production of vehicles equipped with new 4680 battery cells produced locally. In fact, both the company and consumers will benefit from this in the medium and long term.

H/T @Gf4Tesla/Twitter

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Article edited by @SmokeyShorts, you can follow him on Twitter

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