Tesla in Germany: Locals vote against factory expansion plan

Residents of Grünheide near Berlin have voted against expansion plans for the large Tesla facility there. But the vote is not binding and local authorities can still decide. Turnout was high, though, indicating interest.

The ‘Tesla Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg’ opened for business in 2022, following delays

Locals living in the site of Tesla’s large German factory in Grünheide have voted against plans to expand the facility in a non-binding public survey consulted by local authorities.

Participation was high by the standards of such semi-formal citizen consultations, with 3,499 votes against and 1,882 in favor, equating to a turnout of around 70% in the small settlement.

The results were made public late on Tuesday by the local administration.

Tesla, owned by Elon Musk, is planning to build a rail freight depot and storage facilities and an on-site kindergarten for employees’ children.

The process would lead to the felling of some 100 hectares (roughly 250 acres) of forest in the rural community of fewer than 8,000 residents near a nature conservation area.

This is a developing story, more to follow…

msh/wmr (dpa)