Solar farms could cover former mine sites in Czechia's Ústí nad Labem Region

Solar power plants could be built on former coal-mining sites in the Ústí nad Labem Region. Some of the areas are now green or under cultivation. Some municipalities fear that reclamation work will be undone and that panels will become waste, left in the landscape after twenty to thirty years. The public can comment from today until 22 February on the preparation of an update to the Ústí nad Labem Region’s spatial plan concerning the designation of sites for photovoltaic power plants (PV plants) in reclamation areas.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed the update, arguing that the development of PV plants is an important public interest in ensuring the Czech Republic’s energy self-sufficiency. The proposal includes 14 sites and three corridors for power lines to connect the plants to the grid. The conditions are that each block must cover no more than 80 hectares, there must be a 20-metre gap between panels, and trees must not be cut down to prevent them from shading the panels. Water bodies, streams and ponds must also be preserved.

At today’s public hearing on the proposal at the regional authority, the update’s authors said the reclaimed landscape would be altered but would continue to serve its main purpose: recreation and tourism. Ensuring access through the area for people and animals is an important condition. „We are not fundamentally opposed to solar power; we understand that there are needs that must be met. But we don’t like the idea of filling the entire area of the mines with solar panels,“ Václav Hora (For Vrskmaň and Zaječice), mayor of Vrskmaň in the Chomutov area, told the Czech News Agency and Czech Radio. There are also other projects beyond those covered by the proposed update. „It’s going to be on a large scale right behind our homes, which we obviously don’t like. And on top of that, electricity will once again be exported from this region, while we get nothing out of it,“ he said, adding that the municipality would submit an objection to the proposal.

Transforming a landscape damaged by coal mining takes around 20 years. „First the party and government came and started mining; nobody asked us anything. Then came reclamation, which we quite liked. Residents expected to be able to visit the area. Under the proposal, only corridors for walking through will remain,“ Hora said. „Vegetation is important to us. There’s a lack of water in the landscape, and we’d like the area to be flooded, as originally planned. It’s incredibly dry and dusty there. We understand that some solar power plants have to be built, but this is on a massive scale, and it doesn’t end here,“ said Michaela Švecová, a member of the municipal council in Strupčice in the Chomutov area. „We are all extremely worried about how the panels will be disposed of once they are no longer effective,“ she added.

Municipalities or investors could use the electricity generated by the PV plants, while the surplus would be fed into the grid, according to Jan Harnych of ČEZ. „People are concerned that this activity will disrupt the planned reclamation work. However, the documentation addresses this: planned PV plant construction must not conflict with tourism,“ he said.

Municipalities can submit objections to the update, and the public can submit comments, from today until seven days from now. The regional authority will then address them. Lukáš Morche of the regional authority expects that regional councillors could decide on the spatial plan update around the turn of 2024 and 2025.

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