BERLIN — Tesla has received a conditional license to begin production at its electric vehicle factory and adjacent battery plant in Gruenheide, Germany, ending months of delay for the landmark site that was initially supposed to open last summer.
The factory is set to produce over 500,000 battery-electric vehicles a year, while the battery plant will generate over 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) per year — outstripping European competitors on both fronts.
The local environmental ministry in Brandenburg announced the approval on Friday in a 536-page document.
The decision includes numerous conditions Tesla must fulfil regarding the use of water and air pollution control, two areas of major concern for local environmental groups who fear that the plant will have a negative impact.
Tesla has been constructing the plant, which is close to Berlin, under pre-approval permits.