Construction of the planned Tesla plant may begin in the next few weeks. “We expect a groundbreaking project to happen in the second half of March,” said Brandenburg Minister of Economics Jörg Steinbach (SPD) in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.
Steinbach said the plant could receive financial support from the state: “Theoretically, Tesla can receive about €280 million from the state. The EU Commission decides how much it will actually be.”
The Minister of Economics immediately warned that these subsidies were not issued specifically for Tesla, but, like other regions, the state government simply establishes incentives for companies who create jobs in structurally weak regions. The prospect of financing is already manageable, given the amount of investment estimated at €4 billion.
#GigaBerlin
— @GF4Tesla..🏗️🏗️.build #GigaBerlin. (@Gf4Tesla) February 29, 2020
February 28th, 2020.
Overview from 100m 🚁 height.
Even without trees, the terrain still looks very green....
Especially when the sun looks through the clouds..⛅☀️ pic.twitter.com/fHW3JhpA0H
Tesla plans to produce about 500,000 electric vehicles a year with the help of 12,000 factory employees. This is a very large number of new jobs, and in general the plant will positively affect the development of the entire region.
According to a survey, most Brandenburgers favor a settlement. According to a Forsa study by Märkische Allgemeine, 82% of people support the construction of the plant and only 15% are against.
Steinbach, doesn't see a serious danger for the construction of the plant: “200 demonstrators in one weekend are not the order that puts the project at risk.”
Although two environmental organizations consider early approval of tree felling on this site illegal, the Berlin-Brandenburg Supreme Administrative Court (OVG) thinks differently. That is why it rejected their urgent applications.
Objections to the project at the State Environmental Agency in Potsdam, at the Grünheide and Erkner Town Halls or at the Spreenhagen office are still possible until March 5th. After that, on March 18, it is planned to discuss all objections.
The Minister hoped that Tesla CEO Elon Musk will attend the groundbreaking ceremony. Musk confirmed on Twitter yesterday that he would definitely attend this event.
Definitely
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 2, 2020
“In my opinion, the likelihood that this plant will appear is 90 percent,” said Steinbach.
The presence of certain species of animals and insects is no longer a problem. According to information from environmental associations, lizards, vipers and bats will be moved to another place as soon as they wake from hibernation.
Steinbach is confident that Tesla will be followed by other companies that want to settle in this region. “I hope that in twenty years you will look at Brandenburg the same way you look at Bavaria today, and that we will be among the three leaders of the federal states,” he says.
Featured image: Tobias Lindh
About the Author
Eva Fox
Eva Fox joined Tesmanian in 2019 to cover breaking news as an automotive journalist. The main topics that she covers are clean energy and electric vehicles. As a journalist, Eva is specialized in Tesla and topics related to the work and development of the company.
