Hambach mine
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The Hambach mine is located in Niederzier and Elsdorf, North Rhine–Westphalia, Germany.
Contents
Location
The satellite photo below shows the area of the mine in Niederzier and Elsdorf, North Rhine–Westphalia, Germany.
Background
The mine is on the site of the ancient Hambach Forest which was purchased by RWE in 1978. They then cut most of it down and cleared it to mine. Only 10% of the forest area remains. The mine's operation area currently (as of end of 2017) has a size of 43,8 km², with the total area designated for mining having a size of 85 km². Hambach is the largest open pit mine in Germany with an area of 3,389 hectares (as of 2007) with an approved maximum size of 8500 hectares. About 40 million tons of lignite are produced annually in this mine. It has recently been estimated that 1772 million tons of lignite are still available for mining.[1] RWE has extraction rights for the mine until 2040.[2]
Expansion
RWE plans to clear half of the remaining area of the forest between around 2018 and 2020 to expand its operation.[1] In February 2019, RWE agreed to stop logging until the autumn of 2020, but the future of the project remains uncertain after that.[3]
Opposition
Since 2012, the protection of Hambach Forest has been a political issue for environmentalists. An area within the forest has been intermittently occupied by those opposing the clearance for lignite extraction. The first occupation lasted from mid April to mid November 2012. A second occupation started on September 1, 2013 and lasted until March 27, 2014, followed by a third occupation from April to October 2014. The fourth occupation period started in 2015 and lasted until 2018. It involved a settlement with around two dozen tree houses and numerous road barricades. The barricades were erected to prevent mining company and police vehicles from entering.[4]
The plan to expand the mine and cut down remaining forest land was met with massive protests in autumn 2018 and was temporarily stopped in October 2018 by the supreme administrative court of North Rhine–Westphalia (Oberverwaltungsgericht für das Land Nordrhein-Westfalen).[1] On October 5, 2018, the Higher Administrative Court (German: Oberverwaltungsgericht (de)) of Münster ruled that the clearance of Hambach Forest by RWE had to stop immediately until evidence brought by BUND (a German NGO) could be evaluated. The evidence in question concerns the threat to the local Bechstein's bat population. The final court decision is expected in 2020.[4]
Project Details
- Owner: RWE Power
- Parent company:
- Location: Niederzier and Elsdorf, North Rhine–Westphalia, Germany
- GPS coordinates: 50.891826,6.5734464 (exact)
- Mine status: Operating
- Start year: 1978
- Mineable reserves: 1772 million tonnes
- Coal type: lignite
- Mine size: 3,389 hectares
- Mine type: Surface
- Production: 40 million tons per year
- Additional proposed production:
- Equipment: Open cast mining
- Number of employees: 4600
Project Expansion Details
- Status: Proposed
- Production Capacity:
- Mine expansion size:
- Start Year: 2020
- Source of Financing:
Articles and resources
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hambach surface mine, Wikipedia, last edited October 23, 2019.
- ↑ Hambach open-cast mine, BankTrack, last updated September 2, 2019.
- ↑ Hambach: an ancient forest at the centre of Germany’s struggle with coal, TRT World March 21, 2019.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Hambach Forest, Wikipedia, last edited September 22, 2019.
