German mining area to come to be green powerhouse with 7 GW of wind, solar

• German energy firm Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (LEAG) is planning to release 7 GW of renewable energy capacity in the Lusatia mining areas by 2030, providing a significant boost to the energy shift in the region whose lignite mines as soon as played a prominent role in the German economy.

LEAG, which operates 4 opencast mines in the area, estimates that the realisation of the enthusiastic strategy will certainly entail investments of more than EUR 10 billion (USD 9.7 bn) and will certainly develop lots of jobs in eastern Germany.

The initiative called the GigawattFactory existed by LEAG's president Thorsten Kramer at the Eastern Germany Energy Forum in Leipzig on Thursday.

The GigawattFactory will integrate energy storage space remedies, green hydrogen as well as wind as well as solar energy plants to make eco-friendly energy readily available in the eastern German area, Kramer stated. The photovoltaic or pv (PV) and wind parks will certainly be built on LEAG's post-mining locations in cooperation with partner as well as project programmer EP New Energies GmbH (EPNE).

In addition, the companions have actually uncovered areas in Lusatia to set up an additional 7 GW of renewable capacity by 2040.

The 14-GW possibility in the area was recognized as part of an evaluation procedure that was released 2 years and a fifty percent ago. Projects completing 1 GW have actually currently been offered the authorization process, EPNE claimed.

Against the history of the severe energy crisis, the designer will certainly look for to know projects as rapidly as possible. Every megawatt hour counts to reduce the present energy crisis yet additionally to make sure the long-lasting prospects for Lusatia, according to EPNE's managing supervisor Dominique Guillou.

The GigawattFactory with a capacity of 7 GW and also the further potential past 2030 are a landmark in the German energy transition and also will considerably advance the architectural adjustment in the opencast mining locations of Lusatia, Guillou commented.

The enthusiastic plan is not the initial initiative of both companions for greening the Lusatia region in northeast Germany. LEAG is currently working with a prepare for a 300-MW solar park on the recultivation location of the Welzow-Sued opencast mine and a project for a 200-MWp solar plant in the Dissen-Striesow district. Other projects include a 24-MW wind park to be established as part of a facility near an artificial lake on the grounds of the previous open-pit lignite mine Cottbus-Nord. The facility will certainly consist of additionally a 21-MW floating solar plant which is already unfinished.