On Monday, police in Grünheide, Germany, began the task of removing environmental activists from a forest encampment near the site of Tesla's new gigafactory outside Berlin.

Protesters are against further expansion of the electric carmaker's factory, pointing to the deforestation this would require, as well as raising serious concerns about the amount of water the facility will require for the production of batteries, and what this would mean for local drinking water supplies.

Authorities have informed activists in a protest camp in the forest surrounding the factory that they will be allowed to return as soon as the site is searched for unexploded WWII bombs and deemed safe.

The camp went up in February and partially overlaps land already approved for building.

A Potsdam police spokesperson reiterated the claim that the operation was not about clearing the protest camp but solely about ensuring that no bombs were present.

Two unexploded WWII bombs found earlier this year

Two such explosives were found onsite this summer and dealt with in controlled detonations.

On Monday, police said they would remove protesters after they refused to leave on their own last week, despite being offered a temporary alternative protest site. This meant authorities were forced to climb up into treehouses, according to police.

Police representatives did not say whether the protest camp will be dismantled when the area is searched.

Those involved in the protest say old bombs pose no threat under normal circumstances, and that they would present a danger only during future construction, accusing authorities of being dishonest in their intent.

Moreover, protesters accuse authorities of having no intention of respecting the wishes of local citizens, who voted against a further expansion.

Tesla, which is owned by Elon Musk, the world's richest man, has said it plans to double production at the site to manufacture one million cars annually.

On October 15, Brandenburg's Ministry of the Environment approved a partial expansion of the site.

js/jsi (AFP, dpa)