Activists plan to shutdown German lignite mine

Environmental activists are planning a “mass civil trespass” to close down one of Europe’s largest coal mines in Lusatia, Germany, this weekend.

Organised by Ende Gelände, an anti-coal and anti-nuclear power movement based in Germany, the event will target the lignite mine, aiming to stop excavation equipment and halt coal trains from delivering their loads to nearby power plants.

The activists are demanding an immediate end to coal mining at the site and a full transition to renewable energy.

The mine is owned by Swedish state-owned utility, Vatenfall, which recently announced it would divest its German lignite mining operations to Czech company, Energetický a prumyslový.

The action follows similar action at the Ffos-y-fran opencast mine in south Wales, where several hundred protestors managed to halt operations.

Edited by Jonathan Rowland.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcoal.com/coal/13052016/activists-plan-to-shutdown-german-lignite-mine-2016-776/