Tesla will expand its Gigafactory Berlin on a new 250-acre lot as they have now officially submitted a construction plan to the municipality.
Tesla has submitted a proposal to build on an additional 100 hectares east of its German facility, tripling the size of the site, as reported by Reuters, citing a local newspaper, rbb.
Mayor of Grünheide, Arne Christiani, said that the development plan (B Plan) has to be changed to accommodate the facility’s expansion. Christiani confirmed the application: “During this process, it will become clear whether all the issues that are relevant in such a B-plan process correspond to the wishes of the community representatives,”
According to the report, the development plan defines what can be built on the land, determined by the municipal council. In the Building Code (BauGB), the legislator defines how the development plan would work.
The EV maker, which already owns 300 hectares of land for its auto production and battery plant, wanted to construct a freight station, logistical areas, and parking spaces on the additional site.
Consequently, the main committee of the municipality of Grünheide should deal with the application on June 2nd. Christiani remarked that this should indicate the beginning of the B Plan procedure. “Within this process, it will become clear whether all concerns that are relevant in such a B-plan process correspond to the wishes of the community representatives,” he said.
The Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg is Tesla’s first manufacturing location in Europe. It can produce 500,000 electric vehicles annually and began production in March of this year.
Giga Berlin is making only the Model Y and the rate of production rate is expected to touch 150,000 units at the end of the first year. It also manufactures battery cells and is likely to produce the Model 3 at this facility. This might be one of the reasons why TESLA is expanding so soon.
