According to the German media (Tagesspiegel), the Brandenburg's State Environment Agency has required Tesla to stop the installation of the manufacturing equipment in the paint shop and clearing the tree farm at the Tesla Giga Berlin until it makes a security deposit of €100 million ($123 million).

It seems that the project constantly moves forward and back. Just recently, the company received permission to clear an additional part of the tree farm, then it was blocked, and now it's not allowed altogether with the installation of the paint shop.

The article explains that as Tesla has only conditional approval for the construction, it must make a security deposit for any dismantling costs - in case the project gets rejected in the end. Remember: Tesla is building the factory at its own financial risk, without the final permission, and will be required to turn the entire site into a tree farm again, if it does not receive the final permit.

The deadline for the deposit was December 17. Tesla applied on December 16 to extend it to January 15, but it was extended only to January 4, 2021.