Overview

• Assembly of the drilling rig began July 29 after crane parts and containment tanks were delivered to the recently leveled site.
• The operation will repurpose a 1985 cemented borehole with multiple concentric metal casings to ensure full protection of groundwater.
• Energieprojekt Lech Kinsau 1 GmbH — 80% owned by MRH Mineralöl-Rohstoff-Handel and 20% by Genexco — gained approval under federal mining regulations, with Bavarian Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger affirming its compliance.
• If the four-week test proves viable, it could tap an estimated 400–500 million cubic meters of gas, potentially supplying 10,000–15,000 households for up to 15 years.
• Environmental groups including Greenpeace Bayern, Bund Naturschutz and Fridays for Future have announced demonstrations this weekend and further protests once the rig is in place.