Tesla’s search for a production facility in Europe may have gotten a boost after French Energy Minister Segolene Royal offered the site of France’s oldest nuclear reactor in Fesseheim as a potential site for the electric car marker. The nuclear plant is expected to close at the end of the year, as per a pledge made by French President Francois Hollande.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has not yet commented on the potential site, but according to Royal, a meeting has been scheduled with Tesla’s management in two weeks to determine the feasibility of putting up the factory in that region. Curiously, Musk has already touted the plant’s location as a possible site in an interview back in February 2016. Musk called it “idle speculation” but he did mention putting a factory in Alsace, a region near the German border where the Fessenheim nuclear plant is currently located.
Multiple news reports point to energy minister Royal as the most vocal proponent of having the Tesla plant in France. The Fessenheim plant, she argues, is an ideal location for the American automaker because it’s going to need employment opportunities once the nuclear plant closes by the end of the year. There has been some strong opposition in the plant closure, most notably from labor unions and local politicians who are afraid of lost jobs once the plant closes. But a Tesla factory would certainly answer those fears, and if the entire proposal pushes through, France will not only become Tesla’s de facto HQ in Europe, but it will also bolster the country’s reputation as the biggest market for electric cars in Europe.
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