Tesla's German plant without power after pylon fire
Tesla's Gigafactory in Berlin-Brandenburg, Germany is without power following an electricity pylon catching fire near the plant.
Police said the fire department was attempting to extinguish the fire in a field southeast of Germany's capital Berlin, and that the incident had not extended to Tesla's facility itself – however, the power was knocked out in the area, Reuters reports.
According to reports from German news agency DPA, Police are now investigating an initial suspicion of deliberate arson. Last week, environmental activists protested the factory's expansion and announced plans to occupy the neighbouring forest for a week.
Tesla stated that all steps had been taken to secure production, but that after consulting with the electrical supplier EDIS, the company did not expect production to resume quickly.
Tesla is currently planning to expand its production plant in Germany, which has a capacity of around 500,000 vehicles per year. The proposal came to a halt when local residents voted against a resolution to cut down trees to make place for it.
Deutsche Welle writes that Tesla wants to increase the site's capacity to 100 gigawatt hours of battery production and one million cars per year – which would allow the company to gain a leading position in the European market.
