Former French Nuclear Plant Site Might Be Tesla’s First EU Factory

During a special event for Tesla owners at the company’s French headquarters, in Chambourcy, Elon Musk might have found a suitable location for a European plant. Especially as the company needs to implement some manufacturing capacity on the Old Continent.

LCP reports that Tesla’s CEO brought up (in a jokingly manner) the possibility to build its first European electric car factory in Alsace (a northeastern French region on the Rhine River plain bordering Germany and Switzerland), considering a good geographical positioning, but the comment has sparked French Energy Minister Ségolène Royal’s interest, saying she already suggested the perfect site to Musk: A nuclear power-plant.

“I told him – I have a place for you – Fessenheim. He [Musk] didn’t say “no”. Who dares, wins. […] It would be wonderful since we are already announcing the closing of Fessenheim and we build something else. We turn the page and look to the future. And electric cars are the industry of the future”, Ségolène Royal said.

It might sound like a movie scenario, but the French government already announced that it will start the process of shutting down the facility by the end of the year, and although Royal reportedly admitted it isn’t easy to transform the site – and to decontaminate it, she will meet with “Tesla executives” this month to discuss the matter further.