FRANKFURT/BERLIN – A German court has told Tesla to suspend clearing of the forest to begin from the proposed Berlin Gigafactory after environmentalists asserted reducing more trees could endanger hibernating snakes.
“The Landesumweltamt (state environmental authority) and Tesla will be consulted, they need to make submissions with this afternoon therefore we assess the situation,” a spokesman for the administrative court in Frankfurt an der Oder in eastern Germany said on Tuesday.
Tesla declined to comment. The Landesumweltamt declined to comment further.
The carmaker announced plans late this past year to build its first European factory and design center in Gruenheide, outside Berlin, with plans to have it up and running by July 1, 2021, to start building its electric crossover, the Model Y sports utility vehicle.
Elon Musk, that has transformed Tesla from startup towards the world’s most valuable automaker in the space of 16 years, can be used to moving fast. The company’s Shanghai Gigafactory went from greenfield site to building cars in only 11 months.
The decision to locate the company’s first European factory near Berlin gives the U.S. electric car pioneer the coveted “Produced in Germany” label, but it also means navigating local planning rules.
Tesla’s permission to start construction hinges on a conditional approval by local authorities, who are obliged to consult environmental groups and the community. The organization continues to be engaged in an environmental audit, a time-consuming process in a country where focus on detail is prized.
Environmental activists from the local group, NABU, are concerned the smooth snake, also known as Coronella austriaca, might be hibernating in the ground to begin, and that tree-cutting activity may disturb its winter slumber.
Local authorities are also reviewing claims by NABU that Lacerta agilis, also known as sand lizards, could be put in danger by Tesla’s expansion, NABU said.
At the beginning of October, Tesla put aside three days to sound out locals and potential critics of the factory, however the consultation process lasted eight days and 414 complaints and observations were lodged.
Locals were concerned the Gigafactory, especially once it started building battery cells, will be a drain on local water resources and wanted assurances from Tesla that consumption could be limited.
In response, Tesla decided to cut water consumption to 1.4 million cubic meters, down from three.3 million cubic meters.
Berlin’s Tagesspiegel was first to are convinced that Tesla continues to be ordered to suspend clearing of the forest.
