Minister for Economic Affairs Steinbach hopes for "calmer waters" at Tesla

Brandenburg's Minister of Economic Affairs Jörg Steinbach (SPD) assumes that the recently intense discussions about the US electric vehicle manufacturer's plant in Grünheide will calm down somewhat. During his visit on Wednesday, US billionaire Elon Musk made confidence-building statements about the Grünheide location, both in front of the workforce and in talks with representatives of the Brandenburg and Berlin state governments. "And we had the feeling that in the end, we parted on very good terms," Steinbach said on Friday on the sidelines of an appointment in Neuenhagen near Berlin, upon request.

"If we can now also address many of the public's concerns through the (...) submitted modified development plan (B-plan), by keeping 70 hectares of forest, (...) then I believe we will be headed towards calmer waters in the foreseeable future." 

Following the attack on the plant's power supply, there had been a "very big media hype" recently, said Steinbach. This was also important because, in his view, it constituted terrorism. Now he expects that everything will "calm down a bit."

In a survey, a majority of residents had rejected Tesla's expansion plans. In light of the resistance, which is also manifesting in a protest camp, the municipality of Grünheide presented suggestions for a new version of the relevant development plan on its website on Thursday. According to this, instead of the more than 100 hectares originally intended to be cleared for the expansion of the site, only about 50 hectares of forest would be felled. 
 

Berlins Senator for Economic Affairs Franziska Giffey (SPD) pointed out once again on the sidelines of the appointment in Neuenhagen the great importance of the Tesla factory with 12,500 employees for the capital region. "In this factory, a contribution is made to the traffic transition, the mobility transition, and climate neutrality by producing electromobility," she said. 

"There are thousands of jobs there, and development steps are being taken there for a future-proof region. And for us, Tesla is also an important business location in Berlin. And crucial for a progressive development that our region is making." Of course, the interests of the local people should also be taken into account, and concerns and worries should be taken seriously.