World War 2-Era 550 Pound Bomb Near Tesla's German Gigafactory To Be Detonated On Saturday: Report (Updated)

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated with a statement from the Brandenburg police.

A 550-pound bomb from World War 2 has reportedly been found near Tesla Inc.’s TSLA sole gigafactory in Europe.

What Happened: The bomb was found in the forest area near Tesla’s Giga factory in Berlin where Tesla is planning to expand its site and activists have been protesting against the expansion, reported local news platform RBB, citing Grünheide municipality’s public order office.

The bomb is expected to be detonated on site on Saturday, the report said while adding that a temporary production stop has been planned at the factory on the day. The protestors against the factory’s proposed expansion occupying the forest have the option to leave by themselves, officials said, as reported by RBB.

Brandenburg police confirmed the news to Benzinga on Friday. The bomb was found during scheduled searches commissioned by the State Forestry Authority and blasting is scheduled for Saturday with the exclusion zone expected to be 1000 meters, the statement said.

Tesla, however, did not respond to Benzinga’s request for comment.

Why It Matters: The Gruenheide council approved Tesla's plans to expand its German factory in May. However, the company also needs approvals from local environmental authorities before it can start its expansion efforts.

The EV giant is aiming to double the plant's capacity for battery production to 100 gigawatt hours and car production to 1 million units annually and also intends to add a train station on the factory premises.

Environmentalists and locals have voiced against the proposed expansion over the loss of forest area. Last month, several protestors attempted to storm the company's factory and even injured several police officers in the ensuing clash. Several protestors were taken into police custody over the incident.

In March, an arson attack on the factory caused a power outage and halted production for about a week. Far-left activist organization Vulkan Group claimed the attack and said it was spurred by environmental concerns.

Check out more of Benzinga’s Future Of Mobility coverage by following this link.

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Photo courtesy: Tesla