Local residents are complaining en masse about the Tesla Gigafactory under construction in Grünheide, near Berlin. More than 400 objections have now been filed against the project. The main concern is the expected increase in traffic and the impact of the plant on the environment.
Today in the town hall of Erkner, the municipality of Grünheide, a hearing about the construction of the ‘Gigafactory’ has started. Bloomberg reports that 114 residents were present here. In total, more than 400 objections have been filed against the project. The complaints focus, among other things, on the water consumption of the factory, but also on the increasing traffic as a result of the high volume of freight traffic. Tesla has previously anticipated the concerns surrounding water consumption. The plans for the factory now state that water will be used more efficiently. Thanks to this commitment, the region’s water board has given the green light to the factory. With this, Tesla has overcome quite a hurdle.
The residents do not expect the municipality to do anything with the prevailing objections. Immediately on the first day of the hearing, it was demanded that the chairman resign due to bias. That fear is not unfounded. The German government has already publicly pledged support to Tesla. Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier has promised CEO Elon Musk that he would “provide whatever assistance is needed” to start up the factory.
Tesla wants to build 500,000 cars per year in Germany from the summer of 2021. Musk already put one earlier charm offensive on Twitter and promised earlier this month during his visit to the site of the factory that they would recycle ‘as much as humanly possible’. In addition, Tesla says it is open to advice from outside. It seems that the residents of the region are not going to get their way – the cancellation of the construction of the factory.