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Potsdam (dpa / bb) - For the construction of its factory in Grünheide near Berlin, the US electric car manufacturer Tesla is allowed to work on more space on the construction site.
On Wednesday, the State Office for the Environment (LfU) issued a further approval of the early start of earthworks on the company premises.
The permit includes the removal of the topsoil by up to 0.3 meters and leveling the terrain on areas that have already been cleared, as a spokesman for the Ministry of the Environment announced.
It is now the eleventh early approval.
Another application for approval of the early start for the construction of underground lines is still being examined.
So far, the car factory has not received an environmental permit under the Federal Immission Control Act.
Tesla is therefore building with early approvals.
According to the spokesman, the competent licensing authority is still being examined on the final decision.
A point in time when a decision will be made cannot be given.
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Tesla plans to start producing its electric cars in July.
In the first stage, around 12,000 employees will produce 500,000 vehicles a year.
It is the first plant of its kind in Europe.
Conservationists and residents criticize the project and fear, among other things, problems with drinking water.
In response to media reports that the construction of the Tesla factory is apparently exerting pressure on the LfU to speed up the approval process for the settlement, the Ministry of the Environment said that the authority was conducting the process “independently and objectively”.
The permit applications are often associated with high investment sums and jobs.
"It is the rule that developers want to move the authorities to a decision as quickly as possible," said the ministry spokesman.
The employees could handle this pressure, however.
The ZDF magazine “Frontal 21” and the “Handelblatt” had previously reported.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210331-99-44647 / 3