Reichwalde coal mine

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The Reichwalde coal mine is an open-cast mine operated by LEAG. It produces 5.4 million tonnes per annum, near Boxberg in Saxony, Germany.

The mine provides lignite to the Boxberg Power Station.

Location

The satellite photo below shows the area of the mine near Boxberg in Saxony, Germany.

Loading map...

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Background

Development of Reichwalde mine, the easternmost opencast mine in the Lusatian district, began in 1980.

On April 25, 2018, the exposed coal seam caught fire. The fire quickly reached an extent of up to 2000 × 100 meters and burned for several days, as the fire had been kindled again and again by the prevailing wind. As a measure against the fire, the operator LEAG filled the burning area with the help of the overburden conveyor bridge.

In August 2020, Germany passed a coal phaseout act which aims to gradually reduce and eventually end the use of coal-powered energy in the country by 2038. According to the Oeko-Institut, a nonprofit environmental research institute, the shutdown of the Reichwalde open-cast mine is planned for 2041. However, due to Russia's war in Ukraine, Germany is considering delaying the closure of some lignite power plants and is also considering bringing some recently closed lignite plants back online.

Project Details

• Operator: LEAG
• Owners: Energetický a Průmyslový Holding (EPH; 50%) and PPF Investments (50%)
• Location: near Boxberg in Saxony, Germany
• GPS Coordinates: 51.396367, 14.678249 (exact)
• Mine Status: Operating
• Production: 5.4 million tonnes per year (2021)
• Total Resource:
• Total Reserves: 366 million tonnes
• Coal Type: lignite
• Mine Size: 55 km2
• Mine Type: Surface
• Start Year: 1985
• Retirement Year:2041 (expected)
• Number of Employees:

Articles and resources

Related GEM.wiki articles

• Germany and coal