Tesla cleared a conditional hurdle Friday, as it received a green-light to complete its first European plant.
The $5.5 billion facility marks the EV automaker‘s first major milestone in European manufacturing, but it has not come easily. Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg, near Germany’s capital, was supposed to kick off production last summer. However, it has been mired in delays, as the company works to assuage government officials and environmental groups concerned about the plant’s impact on the local area.
Before it can ramp up production, the 536-page permit stipulates that Tesla must clear imposed conditions. The company plans to do that within the next two weeks, Reuters reports. However, those who wish to file objections to the conditional permit have a month to do so, according to Brandenburg state environment minister Axel Vogel.
Over the past several months, Tesla continued construction under pre-approval permits, including a new battery plant which it hopes will help it outproduce European rivals like Volkswagen. Public consultations and regulatory hurdles delayed the process, however, and CEO Elon Musk took to Twitter on several occasions to express his frustration with the bureaucratic red tape:
Headline figures for Tesla’s Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg
Now that matters appear to be back on track, barring any objections, Tesla can once again move toward bringing its German factory up to full speed. To that end, the automaker aims to employ some 12,000 workers — 2,600 of which have been hired so far, labor unions noted last month. At full capacity, Tesla aims to build 500,000 electric cars each year.
Gigafactory Berlin-Brandenburg will kick off production with the popular and lucrative Model Y. The facility also includes an on-site battery plant, which will produce more than 50 gigawatt hours (GWh) worth of modules annually.