Expansion of Tesla factory in Grünheide: Further pile foundations applied for

Tesla wants to expand the factory in Grünheide near Berlin. The company has now submitted an application for the installation of further pile foundations. These are intended for expansion in the north-west of the site, according to the US electric car maker’s first application for a partial permit. The application was published on Wednesday. Citizens have until September 18 to raise objections to the project.

A new production building is to be built in the north of the site, which will be around 700 by 700 meters in size. More pile foundations are planned for the new building than in the existing plant. Every support for the building should therefore be founded on piles.

Tesla: Environmentalists criticize factory expansion in Grünheide

According to Tesla’s application, the piles will be driven into the saturated area of ​​the aquifer. The southern part of the project area is partly located in zones of drinking water protection areas. Environmentalists such as the Green League and the citizens’ initiative (BI) Grünheide have therefore repeatedly criticized the insertion of the piles. BI spokesman Steffen Schorcht said that there were fears that the aquifer would be at risk from the input of pollutants, and that the pile foundations would encourage this.

Tesla wants to expand its only e-car factory in Europe. The goal is to double production capacity from the initially targeted 500,000 cars to one million cars a year with 22,500 employees. To this end, the company is submitting applications in three parts for an environmental permit to the state of Brandenburg.