Tesla’s factory in Germany, known as Giga Berlin, had a bomb from World War 2 near its property, which will be detonated nearby in a “controlled manner.”
Authorities found a 250-kilogram bomb in the forest next to Tesla’s factory, which was identified as an explosive from World War 2. German media outlet RBB first reported the story.
Safety is the ultimate concern for local authorities, not only because of the manufacturing plant and its employees but also because protestors have been living in the woods on property in protest of Tesla’s expansion of Giga Berlin, which was approved last month.
Plans are to transport and detonate the bomb on Saturday between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. local time. Local authorities will close down two state roads, but the A10 motorway and the RE1 railway line will remain open and active.
The report states the bomb is located where Tesla’s planned freight station tracks are expected to be laid.
“Work to investigate the contamination of the bomb began in mid-June,” a spokesperson for the Brandenburg Ministry of the Environment said on Thursday. She also stated that further examination of the grounds for more ammunition would be conducted to ensure the grounds were clear.
Although the explosive being found is surprising, it is not uncommon.
Tesla first started developing the land for Giga Berlin in late 2019 after announcing the plans for the factory earlier that year.
In December 2019, surveying teams were tasked with examining the land plot, which was suspected to be filled with vintage bombs on the site that needed to be dealt with before construction could begin.
Tesla Gigafactory 4 clearing team may need to deal with World War II aerial bombs
By January, the crews had found nearly 190 pounds of bombs from World War 2, which were all detonated in the latter part of the month.
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