In Grünheide in Brandenburg, the municipal council voted in favor of expanding the factory of electric car manufacturer Tesla. The construction is controversial.
The protest against Tesla should continue even after the vote Photo: photo alliance/dpa | Patrick Pleul
GRÜNheidE dpa | The planned expansion of the electric car manufacturer’s factory site Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin will remain even after the approval of the Community representation controversial. Brandenburg’s state government expressed its joy, but environmentalists called it a bitter blow. “The protest is becoming stronger than ever,” the “Turn off the tap on Tesla” alliance announced. Also a Camp with tree houses In the forest next to the factory, Tesla opponents do not want to give up.
The situation is likely to remain tense for Elon Musk’s company, not just because of the protests. The planned job losses worldwide due to the slump in the electric car market also affects Grünheide. Hundreds of jobs will be lost at the only European Tesla factory.
Under police protection, Grünheide community representatives decided on a development plan on Thursday evening that paves the way for a Tesla expansion. The car manufacturer wants to expand its premises with a freight station and logistics spaces.
The atmosphere at the city council meeting was heated. Environmental activists see dangers to drinking water and fight against deforestation, among other things. The factory is partly located in a water protection area.
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The company said it was pleased with the council’s approval, saying: “The development plan now approved responds to the community’s concerns in key respects.” With the amended planning, more than 70 hectares of forest would be preserved. “To do this, Tesla had to abandon projects originally planned as part of the expansion.” This concerns previously planned social facilities such as a daycare center and other storage spaces that are now no longer available.
The American automaker has been producing electric cars in the community of 9,200 residents southeast of Berlin for about two years. Approximately 12,000 employees work at the factory.
Brandenburg Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) said that the protests were under great pressure and that their mood was certainly not easy. “I am confident that your decision is in the best interest of your community,” Steinbach said.
The mayor of Grünheide, Arne Christiani (no party) was satisfied and said that the decision was important because “all infrastructure measures, i.e. the station square, the country road, the level crossing and the connection to the motorway” were guaranteed. According to Christiani, a number of accompanying infrastructure projects by the municipality must be completed by the end of 2026. The development plan for the plant will now enter the district approval phase and then “the construction rights will be there,” he explained.
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The mayor is calm about a possible lawsuit from opponents of expansion: “So far, the court has acted fairly quickly in all procedures in this context.”
However, the ‘Turn Off the Tap to Tesla’ alliance announced that it would continue to mobilize against a Tesla expansion. “Today’s decision is a catastrophe: a car factory that already endangers the drinking water of people in Brandenburg and Berlin must be expanded,” the environmental group criticized.
Politics puts Tesla’s profits above drinking water protection. That is why the protest against the implementation of the expansion is more important than ever. “Our protest for water justice will now become even stronger,” the alliance spokeswoman said. Associations also want to file a lawsuit.
After a court ruling, Tesla opponents do not have to leave a protest camp with tree houses on the edge of the factory established at the end of February. Last week, hundreds of people protested in Grünheide. There were sometimes violent clashes between demonstrators and police. Environmentalists had tried to enter the Tesla factory site.