The Tesla Gigafactory in Grünheide near Berlin, Germany had to be evacuated on Tuesday due to a significant power outage caused by sabotage carried out by a far-left eco-terror group.
The group known as “Volcano Group” claimed responsibility for the attack on the power grid that supplies the car manufacturer.
Authorities initially suspected arson as the cause of the fire that started at an electricity pylon.
Brandenburg’s Interior Minister Michael Stübgen (CDU) described the incident as a severe assault on the electricity infrastructure.
According to the ministry, individuals who were not identified ignited a fire at the high-voltage pylon located between Steinfurt and Hartmannsdorf in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Last week, environmental activists announced their intention to occupy the nearby forest in protest against the factory expansion.
The factory is the sole manufacturing plant of the electric vehicle company owned by billionaire Elon Musk in Europe.
According to Operator Stromnetz Berlin, power outages were reported in the Berlin districts of Müggelheim, Rahnsdorf, and parts of Neukölln. Approximately 2,000 households have been impacted.
Tesla assured that all necessary precautions had been implemented to protect the production facilities. However, following discussions with the electricity provider EDIS, the company anticipated a delay in resuming production.
The automaker plans to increase the size of its facility, currently capable of producing approximately 500,000 vehicles annually.
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