Leased forest area should not give way to open pit mining

In the dispute over a private forest plot for the expansion of the Nochten open-cast lignite mine, the Saxon Upper Mining Authority heard Monday. "It is madness to still expropriate land for lignite mining," said the federal chairman of the Green League, René Schuster, before the start of the hearing in Freiberg. The environmental association wants to fight for the preservation of the forest piece.

The energy company Leag had previously filed an application for mining-legal land transfer of a plot of land of about 5000 square meters. The upper mining authority made initially no decision. This was reserved for a later written decision recording, it said.

The undeveloped piece of forest was leased in 2019 from private owners to the Green League until 2037. If the climate protection goal - to limit global warming to no more than 1.5 degrees Celsius - is to be achievable, Leag's opencast mines would have to be significantly reduced rather than expanded, according to environmentalists. In addition, the forest protects neighboring villages from the effects of the mine. The Green League also expressed doubts about the need for recultivation measures. Accordingly, the environmental association is preparing for a possible lawsuit if the Upper Mining Authority approves the application.

The Leag, on the other hand, sees the mining as an "energy policy necessity" in view of the ongoing energy crisis. "With a very high probability, all the power plant capacities we have available will also be required this winter," a spokesman said in response to an inquiry.