On Saturday, a 250 kilogram world war bomb was successfully detonated near the Tesla-plant in Grünheide was successfully detonated in a controlled manner. The discovery of the bomb, which was not considered transportable, led to extensive evacuations, which have now been lifted.
Evacuations and closures
The bomb was reported to the municipality of Grünheide on Wednesday by the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service. For the blast on Saturday, several industrial estates and parts of the Tesla-factory were evacuated. The airspace over the region was also temporarily closed, which led to detour for take-offs and landings at BER Airport. The L23 and L38 country roads were also affected, but not the eastern Berlin ring road and the RE1 railroad line.
No impact on protest camp
The nearby Tesla-protest camp was spared from the evacuations. Environmental activists have been protesting there since the end of February against the planned expansion of the Tesla-site. The activists, who live in tree houses and tents, were not evacuated as the camp was outside the exclusion zone.
Background and further measures
The site where the bomb was found is located in a wooded area that Tesla uses for its expansion plans. The Brandenburg Ministry of the Interior had previously warned of possible dangers from old explosive ordnance. A systematic search for further explosive ordnance has been underway since mid-June, as tracks for a planned freight station are to be laid on the site.
Tesla's reaction and further steps
Tesla had adjusted its expansion plans following criticism from the public. The new development plan stipulates that around half of the originally planned forest area will be cleared. Nevertheless, the electric car manufacturer is sticking to its plans to build a freight depot. While no production takes place at the weekend Tesla-plant took place at the weekend, it remains to be seen how future discoveries could affect the construction work.
Conclusion
The successful detonation of the World War II bomb demonstrates the constant challenge posed by old explosive ordnance in Germany. The evacuations and safety measures went according to plan and the affected areas were quickly reopened. The activists in the protest camp remain on site and continue their resistance to the expansion plans of Tesla expansion plans.
