State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology

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State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology
- LBEG -

logo
State level country
position Upper specialist authority
Supervisory authority Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport
founding January 1, 2006
Headquarters Hanover
Authority management Carsten Mühlenmeier
Servants 304
Web presence www.lbeg.niedersachsen.de

The State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology (LBEG) is a Lower Saxony specialist authority with sovereign tasks and is subordinate to the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport . It supports the state government, the rest of the public administration and the Lower Saxony economy in all issues relating to mining, energy and geology. The LBEG is committed to the safeguarding and sustainable use of natural raw materials and resources.

The LBEG was created in 2006 from the merger of the Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research (NLfB) and the State Mining Office Clausthal-Zellerfeld.

Structure and affiliated organizations

Geozentrum Hannover, headquarters of the LBEG.
State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology - Clausthal-Zellerfeld headquarters

The headquarters of the LBEG is in Hanover ; Another office is located in Clausthal-Zellerfeld , there are also branch offices in Meppen and Celle .

The LBEG works closely with the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG). The three institutions share a common administration in the Geozentrum Hannover and use a common infrastructure.

The LBEG is one of the state geological services in Germany.

Tasks and topics

Core tasks

The LBEG is the mining authority for Lower Saxony, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg and the geological service for Lower Saxony. The core tasks are mining supervision, the implementation of approval procedures, advice to politics, industry and authorities as well as the provision of geological data. The core tasks are in detail:

Administrative procedures and mining supervision in the areas of raw material extraction, raw material transport (pipelines) and energy raw material storage

  • Permit procedures and mining permits
  • Operational monitoring
  • Recognition of experts
  • Mountain archive

Advice and participation in proceedings :

  • Raw materials management (stones, earth, salt)
  • Construction industry (building site)
  • Energy industry (crude oil, natural gas, cavern and pore storage, geothermal energy, final storage)
  • Agriculture
  • Water management
  • Waste management
  • Soil protection and contaminated sites
  • Carrier of public concerns in regional planning and regional planning

Provision of geospatial data :

  • Generation, acquisition, updating and quality assurance of geospatial data (land survey)
  • digital processing and archiving of geospatial data in NIBIS
  • digital provision of geospatial data in the map server and with MeMaS
  • Analytics
  • Publication of results and instructions in the "Geo reports" and "GeoFacts".

The tasks are performed in a technically neutral and economically independent manner. The LBEG abstains from political statements and evaluations.

Administrative procedures and mining supervision in the areas of raw material extraction, raw material transport (pipelines) and energy raw material storage

Permit procedures and mining permits

Approvals are carried out by the LBEG on the basis of various statutory and sub-statutory regulations. The implementation usually takes place through formal or informal administrative procedures.

The search for economically important mineral resources such as B. Hydrocarbons (in the form of brown and hard coal etc.) or potash and rock salts and their extraction are subject to the provisions of the Federal Mining Act (BBergG). Mining licenses, also called concessions, are a prerequisite for carrying out mining activities on certain mineral resources named in the Federal Mining Act.

Operational monitoring

Mining is subject to supervision by the LBEG as the competent mining authority . Supervision of mining operations, in addition to the issuing of mining licenses and the issuing of operating plan approvals, is another core competence of the mining authorities. A special task of the mining authorities is the investigation of operational incidents and accidents, including the determination of causes, with the aim of improving work and operational safety.

Recognition of experts

The LBEG is competent and responsible for the recognition of experts.

Mountain archive

The Upper Harz mining industry can look back on a centuries-old tradition. After the decline of the medieval lead and silver mining in the Upper Harz Mountains , mining was resumed around 150 years later at the beginning of the 16th century. The rapid development in the mining industry required the establishment of a regulatory body. During this time, supervisory authorities were created in Clausthal and Zellerfeld .

The documents that have arisen over the centuries are stored in the Lower Saxony Mountain Archive in Clausthal. The mountain archive is a branch of the main state archive in Hanover and is affiliated to the LBEG as the successor to the former Harz mountain authorities.

Advice and participation in proceedings

Raw materials management (stones, earth, salt)

Supplying the country with raw materials in line with the market is of fundamental importance for the functioning of the economy and thus for maintaining living standards. The mineral bulk raw materials and peat that can be extracted in open-cast mining occupy a prominent position, and large quantities of these must also be available from local deposits in the future and represent an important part of the natural and economic region of Lower Saxony.

The LBEG systematically records and evaluates domestic mineral resources and their deposits, in particular stone, earth and industrial minerals as well as peat, salt, coal and ores and examines them in advance of industrial use for their economically viable potential. In particular, the extraction of near-surface raw materials in open-cast mining is increasingly leading to conflicts with competing demands on natural space. One of the main tasks of the LBEG is therefore to protect the local deposits from competing usage claims.

Advice on raw materials: The LBEG offers advice on questions of securing, supplying and mining raw materials. It is important to take the different interests into account properly and to minimize the necessary interventions in nature and the landscape.

Construction industry (building site)

The discipline of engineering geology forms, as part of applied geology, the interface between the knowledge of classical geology and engineering. Soil or loose rock or rock or solid rock in which structures are founded or which is influenced by building measures is called subsoil. When planning traffic facilities or structures, the type and properties of the subsoil must be taken into account, as it acts as a load-bearing, load-bearing or stressful element (e.g. tunnel construction).

The LBEG provides information about the subsurface for measures and projects, also to increase the profitability of the project.

Lower Saxony Earthquake Service (NED): The NED in the LBEG monitors earthquake activity in Lower Saxony and the adjacent areas. It was built on January 1, 2013. He cooperates closely with the BGR Central Seismological Observatory.

Energy industry (crude oil, natural gas, cavern and pore storage, geothermal energy, final storage)

The range of tasks of the LBEG here includes the support of the energy and raw materials industry in various geological and deposit-technical subject areas. The main topics of advice and service are domestic oil and natural gas production, the use of geothermal energy, underground storage and the storage of CO 2 . The mining authorities also support the extraction of lignite and pipeline-bound gas and crude oil transport.

The LBEG advises business, politics and other authorities on questions of securing and supplying raw materials as well as raw material extraction.

mineral oil and natural gas

More than 90% of the national natural gas and about a third of the oil production and reserves are in Lower Saxony. When it comes to oil and gas storage, Lower Saxony is the No. 1 energy state in the Federal Republic of Germany, which has been chosen as a business location by numerous extraction and service companies.

The subject of “crude oil and natural gas” is dealt with in the LBEG with regard to licensing procedures and mining supervision under mining law, as well as activities within the framework of the Deposit Act. The technical expertise extends to the fields of geophysics, petroleum geology, reservoir engineering as well as drilling, production and storage technology. In cooperation with the authorities of the other federal states, the LBEG publishes annual reports on exploration, production, reserves and storage of crude oil and natural gas in Germany as a basis for information for business and politics.

Geothermal energy

Center for Deep Geothermal Energy (ZTG) in Celle: As a contribution to the promotion of the climate-friendly, base load capable and decentralized energy source geothermal energy, the LBEG set up the Center for Deep Geothermal Energy (ZTG) as a special organizational unit in accordance with the decree of the Lower Saxony Ministry of Economics, Labor and Transport on April 16, 2012 with headquarters in Celle. The ZTG was opened on June 13, 2012 by the Lower Saxony Minister for Economics, Labor and Transport, Jörg Bode.

The range of services of the "Center for Deep Geothermal Energy / Shallow Geothermal Energy" section includes:

  • Provision of data for the use of geothermal energy in Lower Saxony
  • Professionally neutral and economically independent advice, especially for municipalities, companies and project sponsors in connection with the implementation of geothermal projects
  • Organization of information events for interested parties (e.g. architects, specialist planners, heating engineers, air conditioning technicians)
  • Public relations work to increase awareness and knowledge of the opportunities and risks of geothermal energy
  • Cooperation with the institutions active in the field of geothermal energy in Lower Saxony for application-oriented research as well as site and system concept-related investigations.
Repository

For the final disposal of radioactive waste , salt rocks are being researched as possible host rocks. The Gorleben salt dome in the Lüchow-Dannenberg district has been explored as a potential repository for radioactive waste since 1979. In the former Asse potash and rock salt mine near Wolfenbüttel, around 126,000 barrels and containers with low and medium level radioactive waste were stored between 1967 and 1978. After weighing up the various options for decommissioning, the retrieval of the waste is preferred: In January 2010, the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety presented a plan to retrieve the stored waste.

Activities of the LBEG

  • Geoscientific statements on questions of safety in active and closed or closed salt mines
  • Examination of geological issues in the context of mining authority approval procedures for the construction of storage and brine extraction caverns
  • Statements for ministries in the context of nuclear law procedures for the construction of underground landfills for radioactive waste
  • Advice to authorities, ministries and industry as well as statements in the context of plan approval procedures for the construction of underground landfills (see also hazardous waste landfill ).

Agriculture

One of the most important production bases for agriculture is the soil. As a soil science authority, the LBEG advises in coordination with the agricultural specialist departments on issues relating to agricultural land use. Avoiding harmful changes to the soil and groundwater, for example, is the focus of advice on soil erosion , land management that is gentle on the groundwater and the information service on groundwater protection, which the LBEG offers via the internet. As part of the creation of site-specific farm maps, production costs in agriculture can be further optimized (precision farming). Data is provided on the soil / water balance, but also to preserve evidence under water law procedures for agricultural and forestry areas.

Water management

The area of ​​water management in the LBEG includes soil and hydrogeological advice

  • water management planning process
  • Water protection and water law proceedings
  • Recognition procedures for medicinal and mineral water springs as well as
  • Questions of groundwater use, pollution and assessment.

Another field of activity is the clarification of overarching water balance issues that arise in Lower Saxony's groundwater bodies, particularly in connection with the tasks relating to the European Water Framework Directive. It does this in the form of

  • Advice and statements based on digitally available data or
  • with the help of the FIS soil / water method bank.

Waste management

In questions of waste management, the LBEG advises on the following topics:

General site requirements

  • Assessment of the geological barrier hydrogeological / engineering geological

Base seal / surface seal

  • Soil mechanics, availability of mineral raw materials for landfill construction
  • Studies on release behavior and long-term stability
  • Assessment of the harmlessness of recycling waste in landfill construction
  • Water balance calculations (e.g. HELP model)

Landfill operation

  • Evaluation of strength tests of waste / landfill bodies

Emissions monitoring

  • Planning of measuring point networks and investigation programs within the framework of groundwater monitoring
  • Determination of triggering thresholds according to § 9 DepV
  • Evaluation of analysis results when trigger thresholds are exceeded with regard to action plans according to § 9 DepV

Further training for the trade inspection administration GAV

  • Thematic contributions to publications and seminars.

Soil protection and contaminated sites

Soil protection: Soil is the basis of life for people, animals, plants and soil organisms. It is a prerequisite for the production of food and a protective body for the groundwater. Healthy living is also inconceivable without pollutant-free floors. The LBEG advises in Lower Saxony on the legal basis in all questions of soil protection.

In preventive soil protection, questions about the recycling of materials in soils and the assessment of material and non-material soil pollution are in the foreground as well as the development of requirements for the maintenance of soil functions or the formulation of soil quality goals.

Follow-up soil protection includes advice on how to deal with contaminated sites. This includes questions on risk assessments as well as on the assessment, remediation or monitoring of old deposits, old sites and old arms.

Contaminated sites: The term "contaminated sites" was coined in 1978 by the Council of Experts for Environmental Issues. During this time, the ecological consequences of incorrect handling of waste due to numerous incidents of damage became public awareness. Contaminated sites are defined as contamination of the soil and groundwater that can be traced back to the input of harmful substances in the past. Contaminated sites represent potential sources of danger for the protected goods water, soil and air. To prevent possible dangers, safety and remedial measures are carried out.

Advice: The LBEG has an advisory role on technical questions about investigations into contaminated sites. It is supported by the Central Support Center for Waste Management, Genetic Engineering and Equipment Safety (ZUS AGG) of the State Trade Inspectorate in Hildesheim in matters such as toxicology, plant engineering and the recycling of waste.

Carrier of public concerns in regional planning and regional planning

If you have any questions about spatial planning and regional planning, the LBEG is an important point of contact for advising the responsible authorities (e.g. in cities and municipalities) on their planning. The LBEG is involved as a carrier of public interests and as a specialist authority in planning in Lower Saxony such as B. at:

  • State spatial planning program (LROP)
  • regional spatial planning programs (RROP)
  • Land-use planning
  • Environmental and nature conservation planning
  • agricultural structural development planning (AEP)
  • Land consolidations
  • Object planning such as B. Traffic routes or pipeline routes.

Provision of geospatial data

The LBEG provides maps and data to represent the soil, geology, mineral raw materials, geothermal energy, groundwater and contaminated sites. They are prepared in the LBEG for special customer requests, made available and otherwise kept for permanent public services.

Cooperation with business and science

The LBEG works closely with the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics (LIAG). The three institutions share a common administration in the Geozentrum Hannover and use a common infrastructure. The tasks of the LBEG include advising the economy and participating in research projects.

history

In 1873 the " Royal Prussian Geological State Institute and Mining Academy " was founded in Berlin and in 1878 it was housed in the specially constructed office building at 44 Invalidenstrasse. In 1916 the Royal Geological State Institute becomes an independent institution through the merger of the Royal Mining Academy with the Royal Technical University of Charlottenburg . From 1919 the state geological service in Prussia was called the Prussian State Geological Institute. In 1934 a branch is set up in Hanover. The geological state offices are combined in 1939 in the "Reich Office for Soil Research" and in 1941 in the "Reich Office for Soil Research ". The state offices will be converted into nine branches and four workplaces (one in Hanover).

In 1945 the reorganization of the state geological service for West Germany began in the Hanover branch of the former Reich Office. Because the former Berlin headquarters is now in the Soviet zone and is being reorganized as the " Central Geological Institute " of the GDR. The Reich Office for Soil Research in Hanover officially existed until 1950. With the Höchst Agreements in 1948 and the Königstein State Agreement in 1949, the geological state offices of the United Economic Area transferred supraregional tasks (joint tasks) to the office in Hanover. In 1950, the "Office for Soil Research " - responsible for Lower Saxony - was founded in Hanover from the "German Geological Research Institute of the geological state offices of the United Economic Area" .

In 1958, an administrative agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and the State of Lower Saxony leads to the establishment of the " Federal Institute for Soil Research " (BfB) from the holdings of the Office for Soil Research in Hanover (on December 1, 1958). The joint tasks of the Office for Soil Research remain unaffected by the establishment of the Federal Institute for Soil Research and will continue to be carried out there. The Office for Soil Research is dissolved on March 31, 1959 and the "Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research" (NLfB) is set up on April 1, 1959. Both geological services will be put under joint management, and the expertise and facilities of both institutions will be shared.

The first organizational plan of the Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research under the direction of its President Alfred Bentz lists a total of six departments. The community departments and the associated state tasks include departments 1 to 3: Geophysics, petroleum, as well as mineralogy, petrography and geochemistry. The Lower Saxony state tasks are performed by departments 4 to 6: Geological and pedological maps and scientific work, usable deposits and hydrology.

Over the next few decades, restructuring and changes in the organizational structure will take place in accordance with the requirements of the times. The joint tasks carried out in department N1 are to be carried out by an independent institute with a focus on geophysics on the recommendation of the Science Council in 1998. The newly founded "Institute for Geoscientific Community Tasks" (GGA Institute) officially started its work on January 26, 2000. The GGA Institute, which has been under the direction of Director Ugur Yaramanci since February 1, 2008, will be renamed “Leibniz Institute for Applied Geophysics” (LIAG) at the end of 2008.

The Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research (NLfB) will be merged with the State Mining Office Clausthal-Zellerfeld on January 1, 2006 and reorganized as the “State Office for Mining, Energy and Geology” (LBEG) under the first President Lothar Lohff. His successor was President Ralf Pospich until the end of 2013. Andreas Sikorski took over the office in 2014, and Carsten Mühlenmeier has been President of the LBEG since August 1, 2020. Today, the LBEG with its three departments (department 1: mining: licensing procedures and enforcement; department 2: operational monitoring, energy management, geographic information systems and department 3: economic and environmental geology) performs its diverse tasks.

President of the LBEG and its predecessor organizations

President of the LBEG

  • Carsten Mühlenmeier, since August 1, 2020
  • Andreas Sikorski, 2014 to 2020
  • Ralf Pospich , 2012 to 2013
  • Lothar Lohff , 2006 to 2011

President of the predecessor organization NLfB

President of the predecessor organization Oberbergamt and Landesbergamt Clausthal-Zellerfeld

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ endlager-asse.de ( Memento of the original from January 3, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.endlager-asse.de
  2. ↑ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and the State Geological Offices in the Federal Republic of Germany (Ed.) (1974): 100 Years of the Prussian Geological State Institute. - Geological Yearbook, Series A, Issue 15: 213 pages; Hanover (Swiss beard). online .
  3. ↑ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and the State Geological Offices in the Federal Republic of Germany (Ed.) (1984): 25 years Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research. - Geological Yearbook, Series A, Issue 73: 418 pages; Hanover (Swiss beard). Geological Yearbook Series A Booklet A73
  4. ↑ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and the State Geological Offices in the Federal Republic of Germany (ed.) (1987): Geological research in northwest Germany under the British military government 1945 to 1947. - Geological Yearbook, Series A, Issue 102: 44 pages; Hanover (Swiss beard). Geological research in north-west Germany under the British military government 1945 to 1947
  5. ↑ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and the State Geological Offices in the Federal Republic of Germany (Ed.) (1988): 40 years of joint geoscientific tasks in the Lower Saxony State Office for Soil Research. - Geological Yearbook, Series A, Issue 109: 312 pages; Hanover (Swiss beard).
  6. ↑ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and the State Geological Offices in the Federal Republic of Germany (ed.) (2003): 125 years of the Prussian State Geological Institute and its successors - past and present. - Geological Yearbook, Series G, Issue 10: 261 pages; Hanover (Swiss beard). Years Prussian Geological State Institute and its successors
  7. ^ Federal Institute for Geosciences and Raw Materials and the State Geological Services in the Federal Republic of Germany (Ed.) (2004): The State Geological Services - Strategies, Personalities, History. - Geological Yearbook, Series G, Book 11: 100 pages; Hanover (Swiss beard). [1]

Coordinates: 52 ° 24 ′ 18.3 "  N , 9 ° 49 ′ 20.6"  E