MARCH 5, 2024
By Esme Nicholson
The Tesla Inc. Gigafactory in Grünheide, Germany, on Tuesday. The company halted production at its factory outside of Berlin and sent workers home after suspected arson at a nearby high-voltage pylon caused power failures throughout the region.Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images
BERLIN — Production at Tesla's electric vehicle plant in Germany ground to a halt and workers were evacuated early Tuesday due to a power failure caused by suspected arson, drawing condemnation from Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
André Thierig, who manages 12,500 staff at the Grünheide Gigafactory, near Berlin, said it would take several days before production would be back up and running. He said the outage would cost "in the high nine-digit euro range," meaning more than $100 million.
The incident at Tesla's first European factory poses another setback for the company, which is facing pressure from a German metalworkers union and global supply chain issues because of attacks on shipping in the Red Sea.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon, Thierig said, "We are very concerned about the safety of our employees," adding, though, that the outage "had not posed any danger to people or the environment."
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Police say firefighters extinguished a blaze at a nearby high-voltage electricity pylon in the early hours of the morning and prevented it from spreading to the Gigafactory. The power outage also affected the surrounding area, stretching as far as some boroughs in Berlin.
Police also confirm they are investigating a confession posted online by the far-left "Volcano Group," which called for the "complete destruction of the Gigafactory" because the group alleged Tesla "eats up earth, resources, people and labor" and "spits out 6,000 SUVs, killer machines and monster trucks a week."
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Musk wrote on X, formerly Twitter, "These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals." Using the German words for "extremely stupid," he added that "stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm."
German Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser issued a statement condemning the alleged attack on critical energy infrastructure, which she said is "a serious crime that cannot be justified by anything."
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Musk's decision to base his most modern Gigafactory just outside Berlin has challenged Germany's domestic automakers, which are struggling to keep up with the electric vehicle (EV) market.
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Tesla has faced resistance since before it opened the Gigafactory's doors in Grünheide. Local residents are concerned about the plant's water usage and object to the automaker's latest plans to double the site's manufacturing capacity to a million electric vehicles a year.
Last week, environmental activists erected tents and built make-shift tree houses in the woodland Tesla plans to cut down in order to expand.
Far-left group claims attack on Tesla factory in Germany
Production halted at electric vehicle plant in Brandenburg after suspected arson attack causes power outage.
The fire brigade at Tesla's German factory checks one of the facility's buildings in Gruenheide southeast of Berlin after a suspected arson attack cut power to the factory [Filip Singer/EPA-EFE]
Published On 5 Mar 2024
Tesla has halted production at its German factory after power lines supplying the plant were set on fire in an act of “sabotage” claimed by a far-left group.
Emergency services were called early on Tuesday after reports of a burning electricity pylon southeast of Berlin close to the Tesla plant.
The blaze was extinguished, but damage to the lines knocked out power to the electric car factory, located in the state of Brandenburg, as well as surrounding villages.
Police said they have launched an investigation into suspected arson.
Far-left activists from the Vulkangruppe (Volcano Group) claimed responsibility for the act.
“With our sabotage, we have set ourselves the goal of achieving the biggest possible blackout of the Gigafactory,” the group said in a statement.
Tesla said production at the Tesla Gigafactory in Gruenheide has been stopped due to a blackout [Filip Singer/EPA-EFE]The group highlighted concerns about the environmental impact of the plant and its effect on the local water supply.
“We feel connected to all the people who won’t let Tesla turn the tap off,” the group said.
Michael Stuebgen, Brandenburg’s interior minister, said that if arson is confirmed, it would be “a perfidious attack on our electricity infrastructure”.
“Thousands of people have been cut off from their basic supply and put in danger. The rule of law will react to such an act of sabotage with the utmost severity.”
Electricity was restored after a few hours in the nearby towns and villages, but Tesla remained without energy and authorities said it would likely take several days to restore it at the plant.
Tesla opened the factory in March 2022, launching a challenge to German automakers on their home turf.
The company wants to expand the facility to add a freight depot, warehouses and a company kindergarten. Those plans would entail felling more than 100 hectares (247 acres) of forest.
Referring to the possible attackers, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that “these are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they’re puppets of those who don’t have good environmental goals.”
“Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm,” he added, using German to say “is extremely stupid”.
The power outage came as environmental activists have been protesting in a forest near the plant against plans by Tesla to expand. Dozens of activists have put up tents and built treehouses.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
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