More Than 600 Objections Filed vs Tesla Gigafactory In Berlin

More than 600 residents of the German state of Brandenburg have filed objections to US carmaker Tesla's proposed factory being built in the municipality of Gruenheide near Berlin.

Photo Insert: The Tesla gigafactory in Berlin

Hours before the deadline for objections to be filed on Thursday night, a total of 619 objections had been submitted, Frauke Zelt, spokesperson for Brandenburg's Environment Ministry, Deutsche Presse-Agentur (dpa) reported.

Among them were 201 brand-new objections following Tesla's decision to manufacture battery cells at the site as well as electric cars. Tesla hopes its vehicles will start rolling off the assembly line by the end of the year, with the ultimate aim of producing 500,000 electric cars annually.

Environmental approval from the state of Brandenburg is still pending, though the construction of the factory has been underway for months, using the several planning permissions already approved, much to the annoyance of some Brandenburg residents.

Those filing complaints typically fear the site's environmental impact and the negative consequences the huge plant could have on local drinking water.

The gigafactory will employ around 12,000 people when it reaches full capacity, although, in the longer term, Tesla has said that it could potentially employ up to 40,000 people at the site.

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