Tesla Gigafactoy 4’s construction site was fenced up as ammunition recovery teams begin to remove some WWII bombs found in the area. Work on the GF4 forest continues to progress despite protests against the construction of Tesla’s next manufacturing plant in the region.
Ammunition recovery teams set up camp in the GF4 forest in Grünheide on January 6. According to Sueddeutsche, at least 85 kilograms (187 pounds) worth of WWII bombs have been discovered in 60 hectares of Gigafactory 4’s land.
The main access to construction site #Gigafactory4 is completely blocked. There is no disposal or tree felling. 🌲 The whole forest is swarming with ammunition recovery teams. ⛔
— #Gf4 #Gigafactory4 (@Gf4Tesla) January 23, 2020
( maybe the next airplane bomb at the yellow digger ) ??💣
( Speculation ) pic.twitter.com/T7qazGrocs
Brandenburg’s state chancellery speculated that the WWII bombs found in the GF4 forest were probably US duds. Recovery Ammunition Teams plan to remove at least 7 WWII bombs with controlled explosions, reported MAZ+.
Recovery Ammunition Teams have approached the removal of said bombs with caution. Unauthorized personnel have been prohibited from the area where the bombs were found. That part of the GF4 forest has been fenced off from the public.
WWII bombs are still being uncovered in Germany in other places as well. Just a week ago, bomb squads evacuated parts of Cologne and Berlin to defuse some bombs found during construction work in the cities, reported WBOC. The same seems to be the case in Gigafactory 4’s land.
Tesla negotiated a good deal for Gigafactory 4’s 300-hectare forest. The EV automaker will only pay 40.91 million euros for the GF4 forest based on the purchase contract of the land. Along with the price, Tesla and the local government of Brandenburg also agreed on other particulars in the purchase contract. For example, Brandenburg is paying for the ammunition recovery teams working on the removal of any leftover WWII bombs in the area.
Gigafactory 4's official date for its ground-breaking ceremony has not been announced as of yet. After such an event, Phase 1 on GF4’s construction is likely to start. Tesla recently approved the purchase contract for Gigafactory 4's land so the ground-breaking ceremony may be looming.
#gruenheideforfuture
— #Gf4 #Gigafactory4 (@Gf4Tesla) January 19, 2020
Although we were in the minority at our first "Pro TESLA " demo 😌 yesterday, and there was no or little press coverage in Germany, we still have the best and largest Tesla community on the net.❤✌👌
Thank you so much for all the good wishes.🙏💞🇩🇪🚗 pic.twitter.com/JfTpBIz5JM
The EV automaker plans to start production with the Model Y in GF4 by 2021. The Model 3 will also be produced in Gigafactory 4. The main goal for Gigafactory 4 in its initial stages is for it to reach a production output of 500,000 vehicles a year. Tesla's deadline for this goal is probably years away, and it will depend on the national government of Germany support as well as the local citizens of Grünheide.
As of this writing, the community at Grünheide seems to be split about Gigafactory 4. On the one hand, some in the community believe that GF4 will be a threat to the local water supply in the area. On the other side are Tesla enthusiasts and supporters who believe the EV automaker will be more careful and cautious about the way it uses local environmental resources.
Featured Image Credit: @Gf4Tesla/Twitter
About the Author
Claribelle Deveza
Longtime writer and news/book editor. Writing about Tesla allows me to contribute something good to the world, while doing something I love.