Northern Energy to Directly Allocate ČSA Mine Reclamation Savings to Local Czech Municipalities

Northern Energy (Severní energetická), a subsidiary of Sev.en Česká energie, announced it will decide independently how to use the money saved from the reclamation of the ČSA brown‑coal mine. The company plans to negotiate directly with the municipalities surrounding the mine rather than channel the funds through the State Environmental Fund (SFŽP), citing a lack of response from the fund. The amount involved is estimated at several million Czech crowns.

Environmental NGOs Hnutí Duha and Greenpeace Czech Republic have criticised the move, arguing that the savings must be transferred to the local communities to ensure a fair succession of the reclaimed land. They also accused owner Pavel Tykač of seeking to keep most of the money for himself. Northern Energy said it will not retain the funds but will decide on the donation amounts after a direct dialogue with municipal representatives, stating, "Jsme připraveni vstoupit do přímého dialogu se zástupci obcí z okolí lomu."

The Czech government has approved a "succession reclamation" approach for the ČSA mine, allowing natural regeneration of the site instead of costly technical measures.