Possible good news for Tesla: what’s happening with the factory in Europe

The state of Brandenburg will hold a press conference to announce its decision on the Tesla plant near Berlin.

The German state of Brandenburg has scheduled a press conference to announce its approval decision for the giant Tesla plant near Berlin.

“The approval procedure for the electric car and battery factory of the American company Tesla from Gruenheide in Brandenburg is nearing completion. This will be announced tomorrow at a press conference at the State Chancellery in Potsdam, “said the state government.

Earlier, Handelsblatt reported that Tesla had won final approval from the Brandenburg State Environmental Bureau for its plant.

Tesla has been waiting for a few months for approval for a license to start production at the factory.

The factory has been delayed by pandemics, bureaucracy and opposition to water use and environmental impact, even though German officials have repeatedly said they are behind the project, as it creates thousands of jobs in a region with little heavy industry. .

Tesla CEO Elon Musk was on a glamorous offensive to promote the project. He posted on Twitter in German, confronted local politicians and organized an Oktoberfest-style county fair on the construction site in October.

Tesla can’t wait to start production

Handelsblatt said Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke would comment on the details of the approval decision at a news conference.

The decision does not mean that Tesla will be able to start production of cars immediately, the report said, adding that the state Ministry of the Environment recently said that the developer will have to meet additional requirements before the factory can start operating.

Tesla is expanding in Europe as sales of battery-powered electric cars grow.

The region invested $ 113 billion in electrified transportation last year, up nearly 50 percent from 2020, according to BloombergNEF, and its electric vehicle market is expected to remain much larger and more competitive than the U.S. in the coming years.

The long-awaited approval will be an advantage for Tesla’s plans to challenge Volkswagen, BMW and Mercedes-Benz on their home ground as European rivals expand their own electric vehicle offerings.

The Tesla plant is designed to eventually produce batteries and up to 500,000 cars a year and will provide the electric vehicle manufacturer with a production base in one of the most competitive car markets in the world.