What just happened? A left-wing extremist group has claimed it was responsible for an arson attack on a power station outside of Berlin that took Tesla's Gigafactory offline. The incident took place on March 5, but the factory remains without electricity and could stay that way for another week.

Vulkangruppe Tesla Abschalten, aka Vulcan Group or Volcano Group, said in a statement that it wanted to inflict the largest possible blackout on the Gigafactory. The activists said the attack was carried out because of the environmental impact Tesla has on the planet and its reputation for extreme workplace conditions.

"The complete destruction of the gigafactory and the lopping off of technofascists like 'Elend' Musk are a step on the path towards liberation from the patriarchy," the group wrote. Elend is a German word that means misery.

A high-voltage mast near the Gigafactory in Grünheide was set on fire, impacting not only the factory but also more than 60,000 residents in Brandenburg and parts of Berlin.

E.DIS, the utility company that owns the equipment that was destroyed, said on Wednesday that it had cleared the area, allowing repair operations to begin. It added that "all affected communities have now been able to be supplied again."

For Tesla, however, the news isn't as good. E.DIS told Reuters that the Gigafactory was expected to remain without electricity until March 17 – a week on Sunday.

Tesla said the arson could cost the company one billion euros, or just over $1 billion. That figure was based on the assumption that the factory would be fully operational by Monday, March 11, so the actual losses will likely be a lot higher.

"These are either the dumbest eco-terrorists on Earth or they're puppets of those who don't have good environmental goals," said Tesla CEO Elon Musk. "Stopping production of electric vehicles, rather than fossil fuel vehicles, ist extrem dumm."

With the plant producing 1,000 vehicles per day, the attack could leave its output 13,000 short. Brokerage Baird Equity Research has lowered its estimates for Tesla deliveries for the first quarter to 421,000, about 67,900 fewer than what Wall Street expects. Tesla production was interrupted earlier this year as a result of Houthi piracy in the Red Sea.

The environmental impact of the Berlin Gigafactory has long been a contentious issue. There have been concerns over its impact on the water supply, local wildlife, and correct wastewater disposal. In 2020, a German court ordered Tesla to stop cutting down trees for the construction of the factory.