Tesla is one step closer to the start of construction of Giga Mexico after Nuevo León’s Ministry of Environment approved the company’s environmental impact permits.
According to the approved permits Tesla will have to comply with certain regulations during the construction set forth by the Secretariat of Environmental and Natural Resources (Semarnat), the National Meteorological Service (Conagua), and the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena).
Among these conditions is that Tesla will not be allowed to clear the entire site at once, and will only be allowed to clear the property in stages. According to Telediaro, which first reported on the approved permits, Tesla can only clear land that is required for the current construction. Tesla can then clear subsequent areas as the construction continues to expand.
To clear and level the land Tesla is approved to use the high-powered explosive ANFO, which contains a mixture of ammonium nitrate and petroleum-derived fuel.
In order to minimize the impact construction will have on the surrounding environment, Tesla will also have to ensure that native trees located in areas where construction will not take place be protected and not removed. In addition Tesla must ensure that at least 500 native trees will be preserved or replanted in the area.
Finally, Tesla must also create a dust control plan to minimize the impact construction will have on air quality in the region.
With the approved permits, Tesla now has 26 months to begin construction. However there are still some other permits Tesla must have in hand before they can do that, one of which is the land use permit which is still with local officials awaiting approval.
Giga Mexico was first announced in March, but despite indications that construction was going to begin soon after, there has been little to no progress at the site in Northern Mexico since then.
