Thursday

21st Sep 2023

Germany begins dismantling wind farm for coal

  • German energy giant RWE has begun dismantling a wind farm — to make way the expansion of its Garzweiler open-pit mine (Photo: Alle Dörfer bleiben)
Listen to article

German energy giant RWE has begun dismantling a wind farm to make way for a further expansion of an open-pit lignite coal mine in the western region of North Rhine Westphalia.

One wind turbine has already been dismantled, with a further seven scheduled for removal to excavate an additional 15m to 20m tonnes of so-called 'brown' coal, the most polluting energy source.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

The demolitions are part of a deal brokered last year between Robert Habeck, the Green party's minister for economy and climate action and Mona Neubaur, who is the economy minister for North Rhine Westphalia, to allow the expansion of the mine.

In return, RWE had to agree to phase out coal in 2030, eight years before the previous deadline. "It's a good day for climate protection," Habeck said at the time.

But this week's move has sparked sharp criticism from activists.

"The current climate emergency requires urgent and concerted efforts to accelerate the deployment of every single wind turbine, solar panel and heat pump that we can muster," said Fabian Hübner, a senior campaigner at Beyond Fossil Fuels, a German-based coalition of climate activists.

"Anything that diverts from this critical endeavour, especially the dismantling of renewable energy sources to extract more fossil fuels, must be unequivocally prohibited," he added.

But RWE and Germany's government have persistently justified the expansion of the so-called Garzweiler coal fields by pointing to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the ensuing energy crisis.

According to RWE, the expansion is necessary "due to the energy crisis." The government in Berlin follows this logic. Indeed, some of the leading advocates of RWE's coal expansion plans come from the Green Party, one of three ruling parties in Germany's current 'traffic light' coalition with centre-left SPD and business-friendly FPD-party.

Habeck has defended the expansion as the "right decision." Green party politician Oliver Krischer has described the expansion and earlier phase-out as "one of the greatest advances we've made in recent years,"

But energy consultation firm Aurora has found that expanding the Garzweiler open-pit mine would cause the country to overshoot its climate pledges. Researchers also said lignite coal is likely to end in 2030 anyway because it is rapidly becoming uneconomical compared to other cheaper energy sources such as solar and wind.

This is reflected in Eurostat data, which shows coal consumption for electricity in Europe was down by 40 percent in 2022 compared to 2017.

Displacement and demolition

The enlargement of Garzweiler has also led to significant destruction and displacement of communities in the area west of Cologne in recent years. Several municipalities have had to be relocated.

This came to a head in January when the German court in Münster allowed RWE to demolish the town of Lützerath, which sat at the edge of the open-pit mine.

Thousands of activists flocked to the town to block its destruction. Hundreds of military policy finally evicted the activists after a days-long siege.

Germany expects coal supply problems this winter

According to a document drawn up by the German economy ministry low water levels have reduced domestic shipping to the point that Germany's temporary shift to coal may be disrupted this winter.

Analysis

Why EU offshore wind is in trouble

Despite rising demand for clean energy and significant political enthusiasm, offshore wind projects are being cancelled or delayed across the North Sea coast.

Opinion

The gaping green-hydrogen gap in EU policy

The challenge of decarbonising shipping and aviation has come out of the shadows and into the spotlight this year — but current EU legislation doesn't get either sector to where it needs to go.

Latest News

  1. Europe must Trump-proof its Ukraine arms supplies
  2. Antifascism and fascism are opposites, whatever elites say
  3. MEPs back Germany's Buch to lead ECB supervisory arm
  4. Russia to blame for Azerbaijan attack, EU says
  5. Fresh dispute may delay EU-wide migration reforms
  6. MEPs call for extra €10bn to boost EU's long-term budget
  7. No changes to Turkey deal on Nato, Sweden says
  8. Socialist MEP defends own side jobs after voting to ban others

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators, industry & healthcare experts at the 24th IMDRF session, September 25-26, Berlin. Register by 20 Sept to join in person or online.
  2. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  3. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA
  4. International Medical Devices Regulators Forum (IMDRF)Join regulators & industry experts at the 24th IMDRF session- Berlin September 25-26. Register early for discounted hotel rates
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersGlobal interest in the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations – here are the speakers for the launch
  6. Nordic Council of Ministers20 June: Launch of the new Nordic Nutrition Recommendations

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. International Sustainable Finance CentreJoin CEE Sustainable Finance Summit, 15 – 19 May 2023, high-level event for finance & business
  2. ICLEISeven actionable measures to make food procurement in Europe more sustainable
  3. World BankWorld Bank Report Highlights Role of Human Development for a Successful Green Transition in Europe
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic summit to step up the fight against food loss and waste
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersThink-tank: Strengthen co-operation around tech giants’ influence in the Nordics
  6. EFBWWEFBWW calls for the EC to stop exploitation in subcontracting chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us