Production will resume next week at Tesla’s Giga Berlin, according to the head of the factory’s works council. The plant was shut down on Tuesday this week following a power outage caused by an arson attack.
Earlier this week, Tesla was forced to evacuate its production facility in Berlin, Germany, after a terrorist attack on a nearby electric pylon affected the power supply to the factory. The attack has been claimed by the Volcano Group, known for resistance to Tesla’s expansion plans for its facility.
While repairs commenced almost immediately, the complex nature of fixing the pylon meant Giga Berlin would remain closed for longer than initially thought, with an estimated reopening date of March 17th. However, it seems Tesla’s 12,500 workers will be able to return to work earlier than that, as the head of Berlin’s works council, Michaela Schmitz, said the factory will start humming with activities again next week.
Schmitz made the statement at a meeting on the factory site, attended by hundreds of Tesla workers. While she declined to give an exact date, she promised to supply the workers with more information as soon as possible.
The shutdown has been estimated by the company to cost more than $1 billion due to lost earnings. The factory recently celebrated the milestone of producing 6,000 Model Y’s per week.
The terrorist incident is being investigated by Germany’s prosecutors, with charges of terrorism and sabotage on the cards.
