The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg region on Saturday ordered automaker Tesla to cease clearing trees on some parts of the site around the company’s first electric car factory in Europe.

While construction on the site has begun, the factory could still be prevented from opening. Currently, Tesla awaits the complete approval of two permits, one for installing machinery and the other for clearing woodlands. As of the moment, both have been suspended until Tesla provides a 100 million euro security deposit to Brandenburg’s State Environment Agency. To complicate matters, the court upheld a lawsuit brought by two environmental groups and has barred the clearing of trees from certain areas of the site. The groups, Gruene Liga and Naturschutzbund, brought the suit due to the presence of two protected species (sand lizards and smooth snakes). Under the court’s ruling, Tesla cannot clear trees from those areas.

The approval process for the main permit has not finished. If the government of Berlin-Brandenburg denies the permit, Tesla will be required to cease all operations and relinquish control of the site back to the state. If that happens, the state would use the security deposit to make changes such as reforestation and dismantling buildings. Should Tesla continue installing any machinery or tree clearing, it will forfeit the main permit. It remains to be seen whether or not Tesla will be able to open the plant by July 1, 2021 as planned.