Tesla's Berlin Gigafactory to be fined for installing devices not approved by the authorities
After the installation of three tanks without permission at the construction site of the American manufacturer of electric vehicles Tesla in Grünheide near Berlin, the German authorities intend to severely punish Elon Musk's company. On Friday, the German Ministry of the Environment announced that these units have been installed to temporarily supply electricity and gas, as well as to generate compressed air in time for the already approved functional tests of later production facilities.
The ministry said that these objects had not previously been subject to prior permission from the state of Brandenburg. Therefore, the State Environmental Agency has tested the systems and determined that they can be used for functional testing.
In early July, following suspicions of illegal construction by local Green League ecologists, the State Environmental Agency discovered that Tesla had built several tanks for various liquids, although there was no permit. Environmentalists have suggested that one of the tanks is filled with refrigerant for the chemical tetrafluoropropene.
The procedure for imposing a fine has begun. Tesla will not comment on this yet.
The company has not yet received a final environmental building permit from Brandenburg, but may continue construction with several preliminary approvals for individual stages.
Originally, production of German electric vehicles was supposed to start on July 1 this year, but now Tesla plans to start working processes at the end of the year. After the application for approval has been extended to the battery factory, objections are still possible. Environmental groups still see the project as significant threats.