Opencast mining - No more coal: mining in Jänschwalde comes to an end
After almost 50 years, regular lignite mining operations at the Jänschwalde open-cast mine have come to an end. With a ceremonial shift change, mining at the site in Lusatia officially came to an end on Friday in the presence of miners - the planned end date is December 31, according to the energy company Leag. Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) received one last piece of coal. It was an emotional moment for the miners.
Other opencast mines of the energy company Leag in Lusatia will continue to be operated. The coal phase-out has been agreed for 2038. Leag is planning a conversion to renewable energies.
"Now comes the final and equally important phase in the life of an open-cast mine: recultivating the tipping areas, securing embankments, creating lakes and raising the groundwater," said Minister President Woidke, who grew up not far from the open-cast mine. "However, the end of coal mining in the Jänschwalde open-cast mine is not the end of the industrial and energy region of Lusatia." New settlements and new industrial jobs are being created.
"Our respect and esteem goes to the men and women who have worked hard in the open-cast mine in all weathers so that we can reliably draw our electricity from the socket," said Head of Government Woidke before the ceremonial "shift change" on Friday.
Leag Production Director Philipp Nellessen referred to the plans for structural change. "Together, we are creating the transition to a future-oriented and secure energy supply based on renewable energies, battery storage and modern power plants," he said according to the press release. "As the largest employer in the region, we will shape this change in a responsible and socially responsible manner with the involvement of our employees."
With the departure from coal mining in Jänschwalde, north-east of Cottbus, the company is pushing ahead with the construction of a solar plant on the former open-cast mining areas. Nellessen told RBB-Inforadio that around 2,500 hectares have already been restored. "We will then also build the first small section of this several hundred megawatt solar plant on these first areas."
However, work at the Jänschwalde open-cast mine will not be completely stopped by the end of the year. According to Leag, geotechnical safety measures will be carried out in the first few months of next year. This will include dismantling the facilities, restoring the areas inside the open-cast mine and creating three future hollow forms of planned lakes. The work will last until the early 2030s, the company announced. The miners have extracted around 660 million tons of lignite in the past 47 days, primarily to supply the Jänschwalde power plant.
Benjamin Raschke, chairman of the Green parliamentary group in the state parliament, criticized the fact that despite the company's public promises to carry out the recultivation work, it was still unfinanced. The Greens proposed a public foundation for the consequences of lignite mining. Lakes are also to be created on the lignite areas in future.
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- Despite the closure of opencast mining in Jänschwalde, Brandenburg's Minister President Dietmar Woidke (SPD) emphasized that it's not the end of the industrial and energy region of Lusatia.
- The energy company Leag, which operates other opencast mines in Lusatia, has agreed to phase out coal by 2038 and is planning a conversion to renewable energies.
- Dietmar Woidke, acknowledging his personal connection to the open-cast mine, stated that the final phase of an open-cast mine's life involves recultivating tipping areas, securing embankments, creating lakes, and raising groundwater levels.
- Although mining at Jänschwalde has ceased, geotechnical safety measures will be carried out in the first few months of next year by Leag, including dismantling facilities, restoring areas, and creating three future hollow forms of planned lakes, with the work expected to continue until the early 2030s.
Source: www.stern.de
