Tesla’s Berlin plant halts production after suspected arson attack

A Tesla plant outside of Berlin was reportedly forced to halt production Tuesday after an electricity substation was set alight in a suspected arson attack.

The Gruenheide factory, located southeast of the German capital, was left without power, as were parts of wider city, Reuters cited German newspaper Berliner Zeitung as saying. The newspaper added that bomb disposal units had been dispatched to the site.

Brandenburg police told CNBC that the incident initially looked like arson and added that it is currently investigating who is responsible. Tesla was not immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC.

Police received a call alerting them to the burning electricity pylon in the Gosen-Neu Zittau area early Tuesday, Reuters reported.

It comes as Tesla’s expansion plans for its Gruenheide plant have come up against fierce opposition.

The U.S. carmaker aims to double its capacity to 100 gigawatt hours of battery production and 1 million cars per year. However, last month locals voted down plans to raze nearby trees to make way for the enlarged plant.

The BZ newspaper linked the fire with environmental activists in a nearby area. CNBC could not independently verify the report and local police reportedly would not comment on any possible link.

Environmental activists began occupying a forest close to Tesla’s Gruenheide plant last week in protest to the expansion plans. The occupation began late Wednesday, with demonstrators building a dozen treehouses across the wooded area. The campout is expected to last one week, though a spokeswomen for the “Stop Tesla” campaign group told DW Sunday that “the longer the occupation lasts the better.”