Cottbus court rejects environmental aid urgent application against LEAG

Cottbus court rejects environmental aid urgent application against LEAG

On September 25, 2025, the Cottbus Administrative Court rejected an urgent application from Deutsche Umwelthilfe (DUH), which was directed against the State Office for Mining, Geology and Raw Materials (LBGR). The aim of the application was to persuade the LBGR to demand additional financial security measures from Lausitzer Energie AG (Leag) in order to secure money for the recultivation of the Jänschwalde opencast mine. Environmental Aid expressed concerns about the restructuring of Leag and the possible negative effects on the environment. Greenpeace, which was also involved in the urgent application and is calling on the federal states of Saxony and Brandenburg to apply for creditor protection, also shares these concerns. In a press release, the DUH explains that the restructuring could deprive the Leag Group of up to two billion euros in assets and that, as a result, the equity of Lausitz Energie Eisenbahn AG (LE-B) will be reduced by 82 percent. These developments could have significant financial consequences and jeopardize the long-term security of recultivation measures.

The administrative court did not share the environmental associations' point of view and rejected the application. A complaint against this decision can be lodged with the Berlin-Brandenburg Higher Administrative Court. The deadline for filing a claim for creditor protection is October 1, 2025, which underlines the urgency of the matter.

Criticism of recultivation and its consequences

Leag's restructuring plans come in the context of an intensive discussion about the consequences of lignite mining and recultivation. According to Bund-nrw, over 33,000 hectares of land in the Rhineland had been affected by open-cast lignite mining by the end of 2021. Of these areas, only 23,876 hectares have been made usable again, while the long-term ecological consequences raise serious concerns. The loss of fertile soil, serious interference with the groundwater balance and irreparable losses of forest areas are just some of the points raised by environmental experts.

The debate over reclamation also raises questions about the quality of the restored soils. The so-called virgin soils often do not achieve the agricultural and ecological qualities that the original soils possessed. As a result, healthy organic farming will become more of a utopia than a reality over the years, which could pose major challenges, especially for the region and its residents.

Environmental organizations warn

Deutsche Umwelthilfe and Greenpeace continue to warn that the current developments surrounding the Leag and the ongoing lignite mining exceed ecological limits. A look at the history of renaturation shows that previous reforestation attempts made after the Second World War often did not have the desired success - an important lesson from the past that needs to be taken into account.

In summary, it remains to be said that the urgent application for environmental aid was rejected, but the problems and challenges surrounding lignite and recultivation are by no means getting any smaller. The question therefore remains as to how those responsible want to react to this in order to reconcile both economic interests and environmental protection. The coming weeks and months could be crucial for the future of the region.