Construction halt lifted on Leuna–Markranstädt heating pipeline

The construction halt on a district heating pipeline from Leuna to Markranstädt has been lifted. A contractor had pumped contaminated groundwater from the excavation site onto neighboring fields without the required permit. Equipment is being installed to collect and filter groundwater on the affected fields, and work can resume under certain conditions.

The 19-kilometer pipeline is scheduled to supply industrial waste heat to about 100,000 Leipzig households from 2028. The waste heat is intended to replace energy currently supplied by the Lippendorf lignite power plant.