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Tesla’s First European Plant in Trouble After German Court Orders to Stop Ground Works

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The company bought almost 300 hectares of land in Grünheide, southeast of the capital Berlin, which it scoured from forests. The plant was scheduled to open in 2021 with the company saying it expected the plant to produce half a million of vehicles per year.

The construction of Tesla’s first European gigafactory was halted after a Berlin-Brandenburg higher administrative court issued an injunction on 16 February against the clearing of land following a complaint submitted by environmental group, Gruene Liga Brandenburg (Green League of Brandenburg), which seeks to prevent Tesla from scouring the forest in order to build the plant saying the company’s groundwork poses a threat to local wildlife and water supplies.

"This decision shows: Tesla is not above the law. We felt that Prime Minister Woidke promised the investor such a schedule as a public request to break the law. Everyone involved should go back to the bottom of the matter and examine the Tesla application just as carefully as any other applicant", said Heinz-Herwig Mascher Chairman of the Green League Brandenburg.

The court said the injunction is temporary and it would make a final decision on the case in the coming days. "It should not be assumed that the motion seeking legal protection brought by the Green League lacks any chance of succeeding", the court said in a statement.

The company has not yet received official permission to build the factory and was only allowed by German authorities to begin preparations at the site "at its own risk".

Workers have already cleared several hectares of land and defused World War II bombs that were found during logging. According to local media reports, Tesla had promised to relocate colonies of lizards, bats, and ants until construction is over. However, Tesla’s statements apparently have not appeased concerns of environmental groups, which continue to oppose the company’s plans to build a factory.

The issue has become a topic of heated debates between pro-business parties and environmental groups, with the former claiming that the legal action could damage Germany’s reputation as a place to do business.

The development may also upset Tesla’s plans as the company expected to finish construction of the plant in 2021. Tesla said its first gigafactory would employ 12,000 people and could produce 500,000 cars a year.

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