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GRÜNHEIDE, Germany— Elon Musk’s push to turn Tesla Inc.
TSLA,
into a global carmaker and energize its electric-vehicles sales in Europe through a new plant in Germany is nearing what could be its final hurdle.
People who have opposed the site—and in some cases, tried to derail Mr. Musk’s plans—have until Oct. 14 to voice any final objections to the planned factory. The state environment agency will then assess the complaints, which currently include objections over clearing trees and concerns over the impact on wildlife and drinking water.
German officials say they expect the plant to be approved, maybe as early as this year. If it doesn’t pass muster, though, Tesla could be required to tear down all the buildings it has already erected and return the site to its natural state.
If approved, Tesla says it could build as many as 500,000 vehicles a year here, starting with its Model Y crossover vehicle.
An expanded version of this story appears on WSJ.com.
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