Coal opencast mining: Lignite production is decreasing significantly
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Published on: November 4, 2021 / Updated on: November 4, 2021 – Author: Konrad Wolfenstein
Lignite mining will decrease significantly – Image: Pixel62|Shutterstock.com
Significant downward trend in lignite mining
Thousands of people demonstrated against lignite mining in Lützerath on the last Sunday in October. Energy supplier RWE plans to demolish the small village to expand the Garzweiler II open-cast mine. While hard coal mining has already ceased in Germany, according to statistics from the coal industry, millions of tons of lignite, considered particularly harmful to the climate, are still extracted annually – even though there is now a clear downward trend, as the graph illustrates. This trend could accelerate in the medium term. This is due to rising CO2 prices in the EU, which could soon make coal-fired power generation unprofitable. “For these reasons, experts expect coal-fired power generation to end around 2030 in Germany,” according to a Deutsche Welle article. This implies that the calculations of the lignite companies are no longer accurate: “By 2030, less than a third of the lignite should be extracted from German open-cast mines.” However, the figures for 2021 show that the significant decline last year was probably an exception due to the coronavirus pandemic. Almost 90 million tons of lignite had already been mined by the end of September.
Significant downward trend in lignite production
Thousands of people demonstrated against lignite mining in Lützerath on the last Sunday in October. Plans by energy supplier RWE call for the small village to be demolished in order to expand the Garzweiler II open pit mine. While mining of hard coal has already been stopped in Germany, according to coal industry statistics, millions of tons of lignite, which is considered particularly harmful to the climate, are still being mined every year – even though there is now a clear downward trend, as a glance at the graph makes clear. This could accelerate in the medium term. This is due to rising CO2 prices in the EU, which could soon make coal-fired power generation unprofitable. “For these reasons, experts expect an end to coal-fired power around 2030 in Germany,” according to an article in Deutsche Welle. It follows that the lignite companies' calculations no longer add up: “By 2030, less than a third of lignite would have to be produced in German open pits.” Meanwhile, the figures for 2021 show that last year's significant slump was probably a Corona-related exception. Up to and including September, almost 90 million tons of lignite had already been produced.
Significant downward trend in lignite mining – Image: Statista
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