In an effort to expand its operations, Tesla has revealed plans to increase its production capacity for both electric cars and batteries at its factory in Grünheide, Germany. The Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment has announced that public participation in the approval process for the Tesla factory expansion will commence on July 19, 2023.
Earlier this year, Tesla submitted its initial application for expanding the Grünheide plant. It was already known that the company intended to raise its production capacity from the current 500,000 units to one million electric cars annually in the future. However, the recent statement by the ministry highlights that the expansion will also involve a doubling of the battery storage production capacity, increasing it from the current 50 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to 100 GWh per year.
Initially, Tesla had postponed its plans for battery cell series production in Grünheide, prioritizing the United States due to potential subsidies. However, the latest information confirms that Tesla remains committed to battery production in Germany. The ministry’s announcement does not explicitly specify what “battery storage production capacity” entails, leaving room for interpretation. It could encompass the long-awaited battery cell production or, at least for now, the assembly of battery packs. The latter can be operated with externally sourced cells, though cell production would be necessary in the future. The timeline for doubling the “battery storage production capacity” is not provided.
To accommodate the increased vehicle production, Tesla intends to construct an additional large hall for housing the extra production units. The company also plans to make changes and optimizations to the existing production facilities, as stated by the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment.
Tesla’s approach to permitting appears to be evolving as well. During the construction of the initial phase, the company had obtained numerous preliminary permits, with the risk of potential dismantling at its own expense, even before the comprehensive overall permit was granted. However, Tesla now plans to follow a different strategy and “apply for the project in several partial approval steps,” according to the state Ministry for the Environment.
The current application is officially a modification of the previously approved production facilities, which received approval on March 4, 2022. The entire project is planned within the existing B-Plan area and is unrelated to the ongoing development of B-Plan No. 60, the “Service and Logistics Centre Freienbrink-Nord.”
As part of the proposed changes, Tesla aims to improve its wastewater treatment, which has faced criticism. The ministry explains that the upgraded system will recycle and treat the production wastewater to eliminate the discharge of industrial wastewater into the sewage treatment plant. This measure aims to conserve water resources required for production.
Starting from July 19 until August 18, 2023, the application documents will be available for public viewing online and at selected authorities. Written or electronic objections to the project can be submitted to the relevant authorities during the period from July 19 to September 18, 2023. Given the history of the Grünheide plant, objections are expected, which would lead to a hearing. As per the notification, the hearing is scheduled to take place on October 23 at the Erkner town hall.