Tagebau Garzweiler
Encyclopedia
The Tagebau Garzweiler is a large strip mine (Tagebau) in North-Rhine Westphalia
, Germany. It is operated by RWE
and used for mining lignite
. The mine currently has a size of 48 km² and takes its name from the village Garzweiler previously existing in that location.
,
and in 2006 the bucket-wheel excavators first touched parts of the 48,0 km² Garzweiler II area.
Exploitation is planned from 2006 until 2045.
and A 61
crossing the envisaged mine area are also affected. A 44 has been closed in 2005, dismantled in 2006 and the traffic rerouted onto the widened motorways A 61 and A 46. From 2017 onwards A 61 shall be closed and the traffic routed onto a newly built A 44.
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
, Germany. It is operated by RWE
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
and used for mining lignite
Lignite
Lignite, often referred to as brown coal, or Rosebud coal by Northern Pacific Railroad,is a soft brown fuel with characteristics that put it somewhere between coal and peat...
. The mine currently has a size of 48 km² and takes its name from the village Garzweiler previously existing in that location.
The open cast mine
Mining is taking place in the 66,0 km² area Garzweiler I located east of motorway A 44Bundesautobahn 44
is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main-parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German-Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial-motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway-system...
,
and in 2006 the bucket-wheel excavators first touched parts of the 48,0 km² Garzweiler II area.
Exploitation is planned from 2006 until 2045.
Traffic
Motorways A 44Bundesautobahn 44
is a German Autobahn. It consists of three main-parts and a few smaller parts. It begins in Aachen at the German-Belgian border and ends near Kassel. Before the German unification it was an unimportant provincial-motorway but after this event it became an integral part of the German highway-system...
and A 61
Bundesautobahn 61
is an autobahn in Germany that connects the border to the Netherlands near Venlo in the northwest to the interchange with A 6 near Hockenheim. In 1965, this required a re-design of the Hockenheimring....
crossing the envisaged mine area are also affected. A 44 has been closed in 2005, dismantled in 2006 and the traffic rerouted onto the widened motorways A 61 and A 46. From 2017 onwards A 61 shall be closed and the traffic routed onto a newly built A 44.