The State Directorate of Saxony (LDS) considers the plans for a copper mine in Lusatia to be only partially compatible with the objectives of regional planning. According to the authority on Thursday, the pipeline routes planned for the transportation of minerals in Saxony are compatible, but the storage of minerals at the Nochten open-cast mine and in the post-mining lake that is still being created is only compatible under certain conditions. "This must be done in such a way that there are no negative consequences for the surface water and groundwater."
In addition, effective measures against subsidence and ground cracks must be planned and implemented, explained the LDS. For the planned storage of minerals in Lake Spreetal, however, "the spatial compatibility cannot be confirmed as a result of weighing up all the concerns". The result of the regional planning procedure is not an assessment of the fundamental permissibility of mining the Spremberg-Graustein copper slate deposit.
According to the LDS, the company Kupferschiefer Lausitz wants to build and operate a copper mine on the border with Brandenburg. Residues from the ore processing would have to be disposed of or deposited. Two locations in Saxony, Lake Spreetal and the Nochten open-cast mine, are also being considered for the disposal of this waste. The residues are to be transported from the ore processing plant to the landfill sites by pipeline.
