The company says its new “Gigafactory” will
employ 12,000 people and produce 500,000 vehicles a year.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Economy
Minister Robert Habeck attended the opening ceremony in Gruenheide, southeast
of the German capital, with Tesla boss Elon Musk.
Habeck said the opening of the factory was
“a nice symbol” that gasoline-powered cars can be replaced with electric
vehicles at a time when Germany and other nations are trying to reduce their
greenhouse gas emissions and wean themselves off Russian oil.
Tesla began building the vast facility less
than three years ago, before it received official permits to do so. Had those
permits not been issued, the company would have had to level the site.
“That’s a different company risk culture,”
Habeck said, after being asked to compare Tesla’s approach with the slow pace
of German construction projects — such as Berlin’s nearby new airport, which
opened with a nine-year delay.
Environmental campaigners have warned that
the factory could affect drinking water supplies in the region.
Tesla has dismissed those warnings. The
company refused most media access to the site and the ceremony Tuesday.
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