The American electric car manufacturer Tesla has received the final approval for its factory in Grünheide, Brandenburg.

The responsible State Office for the Environment (LfU) gave its approval to the project on Friday, around two years and three months after Tesla submitted the first building application.

The time of uncertainty is over for both the company and the state government.

"This approval process was a mammoth task," said Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) and thanked everyone involved.

It is an important step for the development of the region.

Julia Loehr

Business correspondent in Berlin.

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As expected, the approval is subject to numerous conditions.

According to the authority, there are 113 provisions for air pollution control alone and 96 for drinking water protection. The requirements range from chimney heights and “groundwater monitoring” to nesting aids for birds.

The 536-page notice also prescribes precautions for fire protection and the prevention of accidents.

The documents are now publicly available for two weeks, after which objections can be submitted for a month.

However, these have no suspensive effect.

Once construction has been approved by the authorities, Tesla can ramp up production.

The official opening was last planned for March 22nd or 23rd.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk is also expected to attend.

Musk announced in November 2019 that his company's first factory in Europe would be built near Berlin.

A little later, Tesla began construction work at his own financial risk, despite the lack of approval.

The company used a paragraph in the Federal Immission Control Act, according to which early construction work is possible if the applicant can count on approval.

Tesla has received 19 preliminary individual approvals since the beginning of 2020.

The car factory has already been completed in this way and is running in test mode.

The facade of the neighboring battery factory is currently being clad.

In view of this procedure, it can be assumed that Tesla has fulfilled most of the requirements of the decision.

As far as the replacement for the cleared pine forest is concerned, for example, the first afforestation is 97 percent complete according to the State Environment Agency.

In the first expansion stage of the plant - and this is the only one covered by this permit - 12,000 employees are to produce around 500,000 electric cars a year.

Around 2,500 employees currently work for Tesla, and a few days ago they elected a works council.

IG Metall welcomed this, even if there is criticism that the works council includes many executives.

The skilled workers for production are only now likely to join the company in larger numbers.

Environmental groups have tried several times to stop construction work on the project.

However, lawsuits against the clearing of the forest failed, as did those against early individual permits.

Tesla originally wanted to start production in July 2021.

However, because opponents of the project submitted more than 800 objections and Tesla has meanwhile added battery cell production to its building application, the approval process was delayed.

It is expected that environmental organizations will also sue against the final approval notice.

On Friday, the administrative court in Frankfurt (Oder) negotiated a lawsuit by the Green League and the Brandenburg Nature Conservation Union against the 2020 permit from the State Environment Agency that the regional water supplier may withdraw more water.

In the event that the court should revoke the water permit, the Strausberg-Erkner water association has announced that it intends to terminate the contract with Tesla.