Citizens' initiative fails: energy projects south of Leipzig are implemented

A citizens' initiative has failed in its attempt to prevent two energy projects south of Leipzig. According to the preliminary results, the referendum on the "Green Power Park" and "Kleinzössen Energy Park" projects in the municipality of Neukieritzsch did not receive the necessary number of votes. Of the approximately 5,700 voters, at least 25 percent would have had to support the issue and at the same time a majority of participants would have had to vote in favor. The citizens' initiative's motion received 54 percent of the votes cast, but not the 1456 votes needed to stop the project.

As the mayor of the municipality, Thomas Meckel (SPD), announced on Monday morning, the final result will be announced in the afternoon. "I hope that the municipal council will once again confirm the resolutions it passed before the referendum." The final decision is expected to be made at a municipal council meeting in March. Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR) had previously reported on the outcome of the referendum.

A combination of data center, green hydrogen production and battery storage is to be built on the site of a former briquette factory. The "Green Power Park Lobstädt" is to be powered by a solar park covering around 85 hectares on a tipping area of a disused open-cast mine. Some local residents wanted to prevent the projects. Among other things, they fear that strictly protected species will become extinct and agricultural land will be lost.

The establishment of the two projects is expected to create up to 150 jobs. The company behind the projects is PV Backoffice, whose managing director, Wolfgang Pielmaier, is in turn one of the players behind the nearby Witznitz solar park.