A Tesla Gigafactory close to Berlin has regained electricity after a fire, believed to be caused by arson, disabled a nearby pylon last week.
Following several days of work, German utilities firm E.DIS confirmed that power had been restored to the Gigafactory, which is based in Brandenburg, late Monday night, despite concerns that it may take another week to complete repairs. The outage also affected thousands of residents and businesses in the surrounding area following the fire, although most saw service resume in a matter of hours.
Gigafactory Berlin has remained closed since the incident. The plant is Tesla’s first in Europe, employs a workforce of roughly 12,500 people, and produced 6,000 units in a week this January, which is its highest output to date. However, the power outage and alleged arson are only the latest in a series of issues the site has faced in recent months.
Residents have protested a plan that would have seen Tesla cut down a nearby forest to expand the facility, with some activists camping out in the woods to prevent construction. The conflict in Yemen also disrupted the Gigafactory’s supply chain, forcing it to halt production due to issues shipping cargo through the Red Sea.
While the police are still investigating the claim, a far-left organization called the Volcano Grop (Vulkangruppe) claimed responsibility for the arson that disabled the plant in a post shared online the same day as the fire. If true, it would not be the first time the automaker has faced such an attack in the area. Sabotage is also believed to have been the cause of a fire that disabled a Tesla power facility in Gruenheide one year before the Gigafactory’s launch.
