A Tesla executive has responded to the community of Grünheide’s vote against Giga Berlin’s expansion plans.
Tesla’s Vice President of Public Policy and Business Development, Rohan Patel, said that the Grünheide community’s vote against Giga Berlin’s expansion will not impact the company’s plans. He believed the expansion would ultimately benefit the local Grünheide community.
“There is zero impact on any future expansion plans. We fully respect the referendum, and agree with [Jörg Stenbach] that this is a good opportunity to redouble our work with the community and all stakeholders,” said Patel in a post on X.
In a recent survey, 3,499 Grünheide residents voted against Tesla’s plans to expand Giga Berlin’s premises by 170 hectares. Tesla’s expansion would require the company to clear 100 hectares of forest, which some residents believe would have too much of a negative impact on the local environment.
In his response, Patel noted that Tesla has not just negatively contributed to Grünheide’s environment. The company has made efforts to improve and heal the local environment.
“It’s not widely known, but in the direct vicinity our team has worked with local environmental organizations to ecologically uplift 340 hectares of hardwood forests making them more diverse and resilient, in addition to the afforestation of more than 300 hectares of new forests,” said Patel.
Some locals noticed that Tesla has made efforts to communicate and interact with the residents of Grünheide. The company seems to have won over some residents or at least helped them understand their goals—considering 1,882 locals voted to support Giga Berlin’s expansion.
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