🌞 RWE Builds New 14 MW Solar Park at Former Hambach Lignite Mine

RWE has begun construction of a 14-megawatt solar park in Niederzier, near the Hambach opencast lignite mine in Germany’s Rhenish mining district. The solar installation will be built on a 12-hectare area overlooking the future shoreline of the planned Hambach Lake and is scheduled to be operational by September 2025. Over 22,000 photovoltaic modules will be installed at the site. This marks the third major PV system within the Hambach mine, where RWE already operates two solar plants—one with an 8 MWh battery storage unit—delivering a combined peak output of 47 MW. The project is being developed in partnership with Neuland Hambach, a coalition of surrounding municipalities (Elsdorf, Jülich, Kerpen, Merzenich, Niederzier, and Titz), who will also have the opportunity to co-invest in the new plant. RWE currently operates seven PV systems and eight wind farms in the region, with more solar and wind projects under construction or in planning. Four of its solar installations are paired with battery storage. According to RWE Power board member Lars Kulik, these solar parks serve as an ideal transitional use of former mining land while also offering new employment pathways for former coal workers. Foto: RWE