Giga sustainable - giga efficient - giga innovative. These are the keywords of the new green business concept of the LEAG, the consortium Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG and Lausitz Energie Kraftwerke AG from Cottbus.
The press conference was held in the premises of SpinLab
The Lausitz region will become Germany's "green powerhouse
SpinLab innovation partner LEAG wants to build the largest center for renewable energies in in the Lausitz region by 2030. The 180-degree energy turnaround was announced by LEAG CEO Thorsten Kramer at a press conference on the second day of the East German Energy Forum which took place at SPINNEREI in Leipzig. As the largest energy company in eastern Germany, they want to provide import-independent security of supply with sustainable and affordable energy.
A completely new quality in energy supply
LEAG owns 33,000 hectares of post-mining land in the region between Dresden, Leipzig and Berlin resulting from LEAG's opencast mines. The area, on which lignite was mined in the past, now contains a vast treasure trove of land that is comparatively conflict-free for people, nature and the environment. Therefore it is well suited for photovoltaic and wind systems and can also be connected directly to the German and European high-voltage grid. The GigawattFactory combines innovative storage solutions, green hydrogen and future-proof power plants and makes environmentally friendly energy available as secure power for millions of households.
Job motor for eastern Germany
The transformation is not only to come on an ecological level, municipalities and companies in the region are also to reap enormous economic benefits from the GigawattFactory. "We offer a new quality of green energy on demand: mobility with green hydrogen, green heat from buffer storage or price-stable direct power supply - this will be a magnet for new companies desperately seeking new locations with green energy," explained Thorsten Kramer. If all the plans for 14 gigawatts of renewable energy, plus battery storage and hydrogen generators, are implemented, the investment volume will amount to ten billion euros. The LEAG Group intends to finance this investment from its own funds and from external sources - irrespective, incidentally, of whether profits this year are skimmed off by the European Union as windfall profits.
SpinLab is a place of renewal and visionary ventures. Therefore, it was the excellent location to announce pioneering projects.