Owner nixes coal mine expansion over German climate plans

BERLIN — The owner of one of Germany’s biggest coal mines is shelving plans to expand the site because of government efforts to curb the country’s carbon emissions.

Czech-owned consortium LEAG said late Thursday that lignite extraction at Jaenschwalde , near Germany’s eastern border with Poland, will end in 2023.

A nearby coal-fired power plant will continue operating for another eight to 10 years using lignite from other mines.

The company said plans to expand a mine in Nochten, to the south, will also be scaled back. It intends to decide on the future of a third mine by 2020.