Jörg Steinbach, Minister of Economy of Brandenburg, Germany, said that the battery factory of Tesla’s Berlin super factory has been put into operation.
Steinbach said Tesla will only produce individual battery components at the battery factory at the Berlin Gigafactory, which is different from the company’s original plan. The outside world believes that this should be because Tesla has given priority to the construction of the Texas Super Factory battery plant in consideration of the tax incentives in the United States.
In comments to rbb24, Steinbach said that the battery factory at Gigafactory Berlin has already started. He also pointed out that although the complete battery production process has not been realized directly on site, it is important that the production steps of the battery components have been completed. In this sense, the battery facilities at Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory are already very advanced.
While the battery plant at Gigafactory Berlin is already up and running, it wouldn’t be surprising if the EV maker expands the plant in the near future. But the minister noted that Tesla has yet to submit an application to expand the factory.
So, aside from a statement of intent, the state government doesn’t know exactly what Tesla plans to do to expand its battery production line. Steinbach dismissed environmentalists who opposed Tesla’s Gigafactory, saying, “We see it with more optimism than you do.”
German environmentalists have previously expressed their opposition to the expansion of the Berlin Gigafactory battery factory. They believe that if the expansion occurs, the groundwater in the area will be damaged. Steinbach noted that he was confident that Environment Minister Axel Vogel and the sewerage authority of the Oder-Spree region would be able to find an “appropriate solution”.
