Tesla to tweak application for German gigafactory, ministry says

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -Tesla plans to tweak the application for its planned gigafactory in Europe, the German state in which the plant is being built said on Tuesday, adding it was not possible at this stage to say how long it would take to approve the site.

Tesla had said on Monday that the construction of the factory, located in Gruenheide outside Berlin, was moving forward, adding production and deliveries were "on track for late 2021".

It previously planned to have the site up and running by July 1.

A spokesman for Tesla declined to comment further.

The Ministry of Agriculture in the German state of Brandenburg said the amended application would include the construction and operation of a battery cell factory, which was previously flagged by Tesla.

"Since there are no further details about the nature and scope of the planned changes, statements on the process and the time it will take to take a final decision can only be made at a later stage," the ministry said.

Tesla earlier this month sharply criticised lengthy regulatory processes in Germany ahead of the planned opening of its first European gigafactory this summer.

Tesla has said up to 500,000 Model Y cars could be produced at the site annually once it is completed.

(Reporting by Christoph Steitz and Nadine Schimroszik; Editing by Catherine Evans and Barbara Lewis)

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