Tesla’s Musk Says Stay On Schedule For European Gigafactory – Minister

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has made clear how important it is for the company to keep to its schedule for the construction of its European gigafactory in the German state of Brandenburg, its Economy Minister Joerg Steinbach said.

Tesla also said it was willing to intensify communication in the site near the town of Gruenheide and involve local citizens more, Steinbach told Reuters after a meeting with Musk in Germany on Wednesday.

Tesla has pushed back the expected opening of its 5.8 billion euros ($6.8 billion) gigafactory near Berlin to late 2021, blaming German bureaucratic hurdles.

The plant, which will manufacture batteries as well as electric cars, has also faced local public resistance due to environmental concerns.

The environmental agency in Brandenburg has yet to give final approval – meaning a further delay cannot be ruled out, even until 2022.

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(Reporting by Holger Hansen; Writing by Riham Alkousaa; Editing by Madeline Chambers)