Solar power plant to keep Meyer Burger in Freiberg

In order to preserve the Meyer Burger solar plant in Freiberg, the district of Central Saxony wants to initiate the construction of a photovoltaic power plant. The private-sector project, which could supply the 300,000 inhabitants of the district with energy, was presented in Freiberg on Friday. "It is in the interests of the district to maintain Meyer Burger's Freiberg site despite everything and to secure the future of other regional companies," said District Administrator Dirk Neubauer. If possible, high-performance modules from Meyer Burger should be used in the solar power plant and all work should be carried out by companies from Central Saxony.

A total area of 1,000 hectares would be possible for the solar parks. Neubauer assumes costs of 700 million euros and annual revenue of 30 million euros. "The project could become the largest economic stimulus program in the history of the district," said Neubauer. Potential investors and owners of land who would like to make it available for a solar park have already come forward. For example, an 85-hectare piece of land on the A4 has been offered.

The district itself will not initially participate in the project. However, Neubauer does not rule out a later involvement. The district will be in talks with the state to facilitate rapid planning for the construction of solar parks.

The Swiss company Meyer Burger announced last week that around 500 employees in Freiberg had been made redundant. More than 400 people would lose their jobs, while the rest had been offered contracts in other areas. This followed the rejection by German Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) of the so-called resilience bonus, which was intended to protect manufacturers under pressure in Europe. Meyer Burger had made the future of production in Freiberg dependent on this support.