Tesla has taken the first step to expand Giga Berlin, officially applying with local authorities to expand the facility on a 247 acre (100 hectare) plot of land directly adjacent to the existing factory.
The application with the municipality of Grünheide was confirmed by Mayor Arne Christiani, who told the German publication RBB24 that the development plan for the land in question would first need to be changed to suit Tesla’s intentions for the property.
“The municipality of Grünheide has received a timely application to initiate a B Plan process in the immediate vicinity of the current 300ha B Plan,” Christiani said (translated from German)
A municipal council committee would need to agree to amend the plan, which stipulates what can be built on the 247 acre property. Mayor Christiani expects this process to begin as soon as June 2, 2022.
“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,” he said.
The mayor also expects the majority of the members of the committee to recommend to council to initiate the development plan procedure. However it will take time to complete the entire process, something which Christiani says could take at least one year.
This lines up with the timeline we reported earlier this month that if all goes well, construction on Giga Berlin’s expansion could begin in June 2023.
Giga Berlin is only just a few months old, having officially opened in March 2022. Tesla was hoping to open the factory in mid-2021, but the delay was pushed back by more than half a year due to Tesla making amendments to their plans, but also the slow permit approval process.
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