April 17, 2022JPEG An astronaut onboard the International Space Station (ISS) took this photograph of Hambach Surface Mine in North Rhine-Westphalia The open-pit coal mining area spans nearly 44 square kilometers (17 square miles) and drops to depths almost 300 meters (1,000 feet) below sea level The villages of Elsdorf and Niederzier sit next to the mine and numerous agricultural fields appear as angular shapes on the surrounding landscape As the largest open-pit coal mine in Germany, Hambach produces 40 million tons of lignite annually. Also known as brown coal, lignite is a soft sedimentary rock produced from peat an organic material formed from decayed plants brown coal is considered the lowest grade of coal because of its high moisture content and low heating value The tan-hued lines etching towards the center of the Hambach mine are large steps a safety measure typical of open-pit operations Composed of a slanted wall and a horizontal floor portion called the “bench,” the steps help prevent rocks and boulders from falling into the pit Mine spoils—material removed to access the lignite—are deposited on the mine’s excavated sides as an effort to eventually rehabilitate some of the landscape was built from mine spoils and has become a popular recreational area plans call for the remaining Hambach hollow to be recultivated as a lake with groundwater and water from the River Rhine pipeline being used to fill the pit View this area in EO Explorer The operation in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, produces 40 million tons of lignite annually. Once a center for mining brown coal, Central Germany is slowly transforming its pits to pools. This pair of images shows the growth of a mountaintop removal in the headwaters of Mud River in Boone County, West Virginia, between 1987 and 2002. Connecting decision makers to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas, Bloomberg quickly and accurately delivers business and financial information, news and insight around the world Workers outside changing facilities at RWE AG’s Hambach lignite mine in Niederzier Anxious working class is putting once-affluent areas in play for next month’s snap election XLinkedInEmailLinkGiftFacebookXLinkedInEmailLinkGiftBy and January 11 2025 at 9:11 AM ESTBookmarkSaveAt the Hambach open-pit mine on the edge of Germany’s former industrial heartland the ground shakes as a giant wheel excavator that’s heavier than the Eiffel Tower chews through the landscape digging up brown coal to power factories like a cluster of paper mills in nearby Düren Germany’s challenges collide and it’s in once-thriving places like Düren where the battle for Germany’s future is being fought RWE is accelerating the expansion of its green portfolio in North Rhine-Westphalia After building a solar plant with integrated battery storage at Inden Mine and starting construction of two similar plants at Garzweiler Mine the company has now been successful in the solar tender of the German Federal Network Agency (Auction date 1 November 2022) RWE has thus laid the basis for construction of a new photovoltaic plant with a capacity of 16.8 megawatts (MWac) at Hambach Mine Around 37,000 solar modules are to be installed to create the “RWE Neuland 1 Solarpark” they can produce enough green power to provide over 5,730 households with climate-friendly energy each year Pending the issuing of the building permit RWE could begin implementation in Summer 2023 The surrounding communities of the opencast mine will also benefit from this solar project For this purpose RWE plans to work closely with Neuland Hambach GmbH which is representing the interests of the six municipalities – Elsdorf Niederzier and Titz – and is designing structural change in the region CEO Wind Onshore and Solar Europe & Australia at RWE Renewables: “This auction success provides tailwind for us to implement a further solar plant at Hambach Mine It is already the fifth large solar project we are starting in in the Rhenish lignite mining district most of them in combination with storage facilities This is how we are driving forward the energy transition in this region.” The new photovoltaic plant is to be built on the future banks of the planned Lake Hambach very close to the “PV Hambach I” project With this solar project with integrated battery storage RWE was successful in an innovation tender from the German Federal Network Agency in spring this year CTO Lignite at RWE Power: “It will be many years before Lake Hambach will fill up to its final water level so the premises can be used temporarily for these two large solar farms we are once more demonstrating that the still active opencast areas can also already be used to contribute to the energy transition.” In the state of North Rhine-Westphalia in particular The company is investing around 4 billion euros there by 2030 and plans to implement renewables projects with a total capacity of around 1,000 megawatts At least 500 megawatts of this capacity are to be realised in the Rhenish lignite mining district Images for media purposes are available at the RWE Media Centre RWE has commenced construction work for a new photovoltaic plant in the district of Düren close to the municipality of Niederzier in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia 22,000 solar modules are to be installed on an area of 12 hectares at the western edge of the Hambach opencast mine – above the future shore of the planned Hambach Lake The new photovoltaic plant is due to be commissioned in September With a capacity of 13.9 megawatts peak (12 MW ac) it will generate enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of 4,500 homes Mayor of Niederzier: “For the municipality of Niederzier the expansion of renewables is one of the pillars of structural change It is important to invest in the economic development of the region right at our doorstep for the post-mining era.” CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “The start of construction for our new solar plant near Niederzier shows that the expansion of renewables in the Rhenish mining area is making good progress It is important to us to get the people in the region on board – for example by involving the neighbouring municipalities Our collaboration with the NEULAND HAMBACH organisation is a case in point The region benefits in two ways: Solar plants supply green electricity and generate revenue.” Two large photovoltaic facilities are already in operation in the Hambach opencast mine – one with integrated battery storage the two plants have a capacity of 47.2 MW peak and can thus supply the equivalent of around 14,500 households with green electricity The battery storage system with a capacity of 8 megawatt hours makes it possible to match power feed-in even better to demand RWE operates these plants together with NEULAND HAMBACH GmbH which represents the interests of the six municipalities located next to the opencast mine – Elsdorf The municipalities have the option to take a share in the new photovoltaic plant in Niederzier as well Chair of the Supervisory Board of NEULAND HAMBACH GmbH and Mayor of Elsdorf: “Another 14 MW will be added to 47,2 MW of solar capacity that we are already operating in the RWE Neuland Solar Farm at the Hambach opencast mine We are intending to take a stake in this plant too It remains our objective to create a space that pays for itself with Neuland Hambach and that includes revenues from renewables plants in and around the Hambach opencast mine.” CTO Lignite at RWE Power: “The solar farms are the perfect way to use the land in the opencast mine during the decades until Hambach Lake is completely filled with water At the same time they create prospects for RWE Power employees who are already helping to build and operate the solar farms with their knowledge and experience.” Stepping up the expansion of renewables in the Rhenish mining area RWE operates a total of eight onshore wind farms and seven photovoltaic plants in the Rhenish mining area – four of which have integrated battery storage Further wind and solar farms in the region are under construction and in planning A map and image for media use are available at the RWE Media Centre The first stage of RWE’s fifth solar farm in an opencast mine in the Rhenish mining area has been completed. Only weeks after the RWE Neuland Solar Farm in the Hambach opencast mine was commissioned the first approximately 36,700 solar modules of the neighbouring RWE Neuland 1 Solar Farm have started to feed green electricity into the grid The first stage of the new photovoltaic plant has a capacity of 20 MW peak (17.6 MWac) and can supply the equivalent of around 5,370 households with climate-friendly electricity An extension of 15.2 MWp (12 MWac) is already under construction The two large photovoltaic plants RWE Neuland Solar Farm and RWE Neuland 1 Solar Farm currently with close to 50,000 installed solar modules are located at the foot of the Sophienhöhe hill near the future shore of the planned Hambach Lake Until the lake is completely filled with water the area can be used for producing solar electricity for many years A further solar farm at the western edge of the opencast mine The neighbouring towns and municipalities are also to benefit from the plants A collaboration agreement with Neuland Hambach GmbH which represents the interests of the six municipalities located next to the opencast mine – Elsdorf Niederzier and Titz – has already been signed RWE has more than 20 years of experience in developing constructing and operating renewable energy plants the company operates onshore wind and solar farms with a total installed capacity of around 700 megawatts RWE is looking for locations across Germany to further drive the expansion of renewables Whenever a site is deemed suitable for wind turbines or solar plants the company looks after all aspects of the planning and building process as well as the operation of the plant Images for media use (credit: RWE) are available at the RWE Media Centre You can find additional information on RWE’s solar projects here the inter-municipal organisation representing the interests of the neighbouring municipalities of Elsdorf Niederzier and Titz. This organisation plays a key role in coordinating and shaping the structural change around the Hambach open-cast mine The solar plant provides 12 MW of electricity at its peak. The connected battery storage is configured for a two-hour charging and supply cycle of 4.1 MW It thus acts as a buffer between solar power generation and the grid enabling power feed-in to be even better matched to demand.  In the immediate vicinity of the “RWE Neuland Solarpark” project a further ground-mounted photovoltaic plant has been built in two construction phases The “RWE Neuland 1 Solarpark” with around 65,000 modules has an installed capacity of 29.6 MWac RWE has started construction of a new photovoltaic plant near the village of Niederzier More than 22,000 solar modules are being installed on a 12-hectare area on the western edge of the Hambach open-cast mine they will generate enough electricity to supply around 4,500 households in a climate-friendly way The new photovoltaic plant is scheduled to be commissioned in September 2025 It will then have an output of 13.9 megawatts peak (12 MW AC)