Weilheim/Teck (dpa/lsw) - At the planned fuel cell factory in the Swabian town of Weilheim an der Teck, 94 percent of the land required for the planned commercial area has now been approved by the municipality. The city announced this on Wednesday. With regard to the remaining areas that are still open for the implementation of Cellcentric's settlement project, a viable way has been shown that is compatible with the schedule. Construction could start as early as 2023.
30 hectares are earmarked for the Rosenloh industrial park. The talks with the respective owners had to be concluded positively by the end of October, as the municipality announced. "Cellcentric left it open to look for alternative locations."
At the end of April, the majority of citizens in the district of Esslingen voted in favor of designating the commercial area. Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) had campaigned for the project. According to Kretschmann, the settlement of companies in the south-west is a "top priority".
Cellcentric, a joint venture between Daimler Truck and Volvo, intends to build the plant and develop alternative drives for heavy trucks there. In the transition from the combustion engine to new drives, Daimler Truck relies on batteries and fuel cells. The manufacturer sees itself as the world market leader for commercial vehicles and employs more than 100,000 people.
The community is hoping for further development opportunities from the settlement. Environmentalists had criticized the use of land and what they considered to be overly generous planning of the area. According to earlier information, around 800 people will work in the factory.
