Hambach surface mine

P2p3

The Hambach mine is the largest operated by RWE Power AG for brown coal mining. It concerns the communities Niederzier, Düren, and Sindelsdorf, Rhein -Erft. The Hambach mine is because of its destruction of the environment, including the once largest forest area of North Rhine -Westphalia, controversial. About 1000 years old towns such as Manheim must give way to the open pit.

• 5.1 site occupancies
• 5.2 Hambach group

Data

The then firmierende under the name Rhein Braun mining operator initiated in 1974 the approval process for the open pit and could begin in 1978 with the digestion. The first excavator began its work on 15 October 1978. This marked the relocation of villages and along the largest forest area in the Jülich flare, the guarantor Forest ( Hambach Forest ), has been largely cleared. On January 17, 1984, the first brown coal was mined.

Hambach is with a plant area of ​​3,389 hectares (2007) to an approved maximum size of the mining area of 8500 hectares, the largest mine in Germany. About 40 million tons of lignite annually promoted on this surface. Today, it is estimated that there are 1772 million tons of lignite to reduce disposal. The lignite was across large forests and bogs that developed in the Lower Rhine Basin before 30 to 5 million years ago. The geology of the Lower Rhine Basin is characterized by long -lasting reduction movements in the last 30 million years, which led to the deposition of up to 1300 m thick sedimentary package through the North Sea and by many rivers, which today are up to 100 m thick lignite seams.

With 267 m below mean sea level of the Hambach mine is the deepest artificial Valley North Rhine- Westphalia.

The mine tailings promotes an annual amount of 250-300 million m³. The ratio of overburden to coal is 6.2: 1 sponsored lignite is about the Hambach train to Bergheim- Auenheim and from there via the North-South rail to power plants Niederaußem, Neurath, Frimmersdorf and Goldberg at Hürth -Knapsack transported. The overburden was until April 16, 2009 z.T. per belt for mining Bergheim promoted, which is already closed and dismantled, and was therefore tilted and is revegetated. Highly visible hallmark of the mine is the Hochkippe Sophie height, it is considered the largest man-made mountain that towers over the flat flange landscape around 200 meters.

From 2013, the mining area will be expanded to the southeast. To this end, the towns Morschenich and Manheim have to be relocated, the A-4 motorway and the railway Hambach, on the transport of brown coal to the power plants is done by around three kilometers are laid parallel to the railway line between Cologne and Aachen to the south. It must also be moved a small piece of the federal highway 477 heading east.

Resettlement of villages

Already resettled villages

• Lich Steinstraß
• Etzweiler
• Tanneck
• Gesolei, former settlement in the south of Sindelsdorf

Villages in the resettlement phase

• Morschenich
• Manheim

Particulate matter

The Hambach mine is involved in particulate matter emissions in its immediate environment. The proportion of particulate matter originating from the open pit will be specified by the State Agency for Nature, Environment and Consumer Protection of North Rhine -Westphalia with 25%. 71 % are attributed to the general background level.

For 2004, no complete measurement year is from LANUV NRW for exceedances of the particulate matter limit of 50 micrograms / m³ lists the allowed annual mean value of 40 g / m³, however, with 30 ug / m³, well below the station Niederzier.

Since early 2005, new EU-wide limits for particulate matter emissions shall apply. Under the leadership of the district government of Cologne, an action plan for reducing particulate matter in the vicinity of the Hambach opencast mine was developed, which was put into force on 29 September 2005. The mine operator had already begun Running forward with the implementation of measures to reduce particulate matter. In 2006, the limit value is exceeded 35 had been recorded in Lower trim, which corresponded exactly the allowable exceedance days. The annual mean value for this period decreased to 29 g / m³.

Following EU Directive 1999/30/EC maximum of 35 exceedances of the PM10 daily average of 50 micrograms / cubic meters per year are permitted from 1 January 2005. Since 1 January 2010, to be observed daily mean value for PM10 should remain at 50 ug / m³, which was originally intended to only 7 approved exceedances in a calendar year are by Directive 2008/50/EC of 21 May 2008 (Annex XI) back to the original allowed 35 exceedances been corrected. Since 2010, the annual average value for PM10 should be as low as 20 ug / m³. This, too, has been mitigated by Directive 2008/50/EC of 21 May 2008 (Annex XI) again, so that from 2010 on the annual average value for PM10 40 ug / m³ applies.

The following measures to reduce particulate matter to be implemented according to RWE in surface mining:

Backfilling of the remaining hole

By April 2009, the tailings, most of which was by then in Hambach, partly managed by belt conveyors to the charred surface mining Bergheim to these to refill. Now is tilted exclusively on the western edge of the pit and on the Sophienhoehe. Through the accumulation of around 1 km ³ material at the height of Sophie and the extracted coal produces a residual hole to be filled after the completion of mining activities with water.

The plan is a lake with an area of ​​4200 ha, a maximum depth of 400 m and a volume of 3.6 billion cubic meters. Size and volume depend on whether the westernmost Inden opencast mine is after the decarburization as well as the open pit Bergheim filled by material from the open pit Hambach or left open. The lake Hambach would be the deepest and most (by volume ) to the Lake the second largest lake in Germany. As the open pit to be filled, is still controversial. Some voices are proposing to withdraw water from the Rur and / or the Erft or even to fill the open pit via a pipeline with Rhine water. As this happens, the filling of the mine is expected to take several decades. Thus, it is unlikely to be a completion of this artificial water body before the year 2100.

Criticism and protest

Pentecost 2004 have demonstrated in Hambach mine against climate damage by the lignite Greenpeace activists. They ran over the open pit with a hot air balloon, held several days a backhoe occupied and painted it to partially pink. On 13 May 2009 failed the joint action of the local action group of citizens' initiatives against the relocation of the A 4 and the BUND before the Federal Administrative Court. The plaintiffs sought is necessary for the planned expansion of the mine laying of the A 4 to stop and have argued, inter alia, with feared noise pollution and the possible threat to the projected nature Bechstein's bat.

In 2009, the new section of highway is already under construction.

Since 2008, increased discomfort due to possible mining subsidence in the area Sindelsdorf - Heppendorf loud; because the burden of proof lies with the complainant, the evidence against the mining company is difficult. The newly formed lignite Committee has therefore decided to set up the invocation point surface damage lignite NRW for victims of mining subsidence in the Rhenish lignite mining area on April 16, 2010. Chairman of the invocation point of the former President of the Higher Regional Court of Hamm Gero Debus man was appointed. He has been chairman of the arbitration board mining subsidence in coal mining. It can be called when testing agreement with RWE Power remained unsatisfactory. The process is free of charge to the applicant.

Site occupancies

In November 2012 and March 2013, the police removed tents-and cottages stock of mining opponents remaining in the Hambach Forest. 2012 had a squatters are fetched from a six meter deep Erdversteck and two activists abseiled from a tree platform in the following year. Meanwhile, a new camp was created at a different point in the Hambach Forest.

Hambach group

The Hambach group is a group founded in 1977 by young scientists of RWTH Aachen, dealing with coal mining and its consequences.