Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier has stepped up pressure on authorities over problems with approving Tesla electronic car manufacturer in Brandenburg. “A lot is at stake,” Altmeier said in Berlin on the occasion of the launch of the first European battery consortium. Other continents are also feverishly working on projects for batteries and electric mobility. “That is why we must also be prepared to shorten the planning and approval procedures if necessary.”

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Altmaier emphasized that the Ministry of Economics will consider all these obstacles. This was the goal “so that Tesla and all other companies could start their operations as soon as possible,” he said.

Last week, the Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) said, citing Brandenburg Minister of Economics Jörg Steinbach, that the approval process is far from over. The American automaker must first submit detailed application documents for the construction of the planned plant.

Source: rbb / Tino Schöning

In connection with the planned settlement in Grünheide southeast of Berlin, the minister also believes that it is necessary to catch up with the state development plan. Currently, this area offers only land for the construction of new settlements in the immediate vicinity of regional and high-speed trains. According to Steinbach, it was not possible to stick to the planning as it is currently envisaged.

Peter Altmaier said Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s decision that the US car company is planning to build a large battery and assembly plant near Berlin is an important milestone in the transition to electric mobility in Europe. He believes that Germany has won in competition with other European countries.

Altmaier has long been pushing for a European initiative to produce battery cells, which are key to the production of electric vehicles, in collaboration mainly with France.

Before Elon Musk announced that Tesla would build a Gigafactory in Germany, Peter Altmaier outlined plans for state financing of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) for the production of batteries in Germany by 2024 amid fears that the European the union lags behind Asia, and in particular from China, in this area.

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