Former coal mining area near Most, Czechia, to fully open to the public in spring 2028

The former lignite mining area near Most will fully open to the public in spring 2028. Next year, demolition of buildings at the site of the former Centrum underground mine will begin, along with construction of a three-kilometre road across the former ČSA open-cast mine. Pavel Farkač, head of development and transformation projects at Sev.en Energy Group, told journalists today. The first stage of the area's transformation will be completed by the end of 2027. People from the Most area will be able to say next year what they would like to see at the site.

Mining at the underground mine ended in 2016. Permits have been issued for the demolition of unnecessary buildings, with work to take place next year. Listed structures, including the mining tower, will remain. At the beginning of the year, mining equipment will be moved to the nearby Podkrušnohoří Technical Museum. The owner will convert the site into an industrial complex, which is expected to include, for example, hydrogen production for research purposes. Connections to water supply, sewerage and other networks must be prepared. According to Farkač, digitisation of the entire area is also planned.

The main road will connect to the existing road running through the site. "It will be the main route through an area that has at least the same tourism potential as Lake Most," Farkač said. The road will also be suitable for freight vehicles. By the end of 2027, the necessary infrastructure will also be created, including paths, benches, litter bins and information boards. The group already opened part of the area to the public this year.

Research activities are part of the strategic Green Mine project. University experts are testing, for example, woody plants that grow quickly on reclaimed land. They could be used as biomass. Scientists are examining which rare metals can be recovered from power plant fly ash stored at the site. The mine also serves as an outdoor classroom, where 140 children from 11 schools in the Most and Chomutov areas took part this autumn. Another series of courses will begin in February. A total of 800 primary and secondary school pupils and students from the region will gradually take part in educational programmes on energy and landscape restoration.

The company is already preparing employees for the period after coal mining in the Most area ends completely. At the ČSA site itself, miners from Vršanská uhelná are still carrying out so-called remediation mining on the sides of the future lake, which is filling naturally. "We regularly hold job fairs. For example, five employees are currently taking a train driver course," Farkaš said, adding that it is not yet possible to say how many employees will be affected by redundancies or when.

The owners of the site want to know the public's views on what should be located there. They are discussing housing development with the leadership of Most, while light industrial production is also being considered. A public survey will be held in spring. The extensive area includes a national natural monument, encompassing part of the residual pit of the ČSA large-scale mine, where a lake is forming and where one-third of the area has been left to natural processes. The Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic, which manages the monument, plans to open it to the public after remediation and reclamation work has been completed, no later than 2027. Mining at the open-cast mine ended last year, but reclamation began 30 years ago and currently covers 4,500 hectares. Forests are growing there, while wetlands, ponds, meadows and grazing land have been created.

According to Farkaš, the first stage of the Green Mine project will cost CZK 540 million, with an EU grant covering 80 percent of the amount.