German utility RWE has begun construction on a new photovoltaic (PV) plant at the Hambach opencast lignite mine in North Rhine-Westphalia, marking the latest step in its plan to expand renewable energy capacity in the region.
The project, located near the municipality of Niederzier in the Düren district, will see the installation of approximately 22,000 solar modules across 12 hectares on the mine’s western edge, above the future site of Hambach Lake. Once completed, the 13.9 megawatt-peak (MWp) plant is expected to provide enough electricity to power around 4,500 homes.
RWE already operates two solar plants at the Hambach site. With the addition of this facility, total solar capacity at the location will exceed 60MW.
“The start of construction for our new solar plant near Niederzier shows that the expansion of renewables in the Rhenish mining area is making good progress,” said Katja Wünschel, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia. “It is important to us to get the people in the region on board – for example by involving the neighbouring municipalities.”
The company is working in partnership with Neuland Hambach, a regional organisation representing six nearby municipalities, including Elsdorf, Jülich, Kerpen, Merzenich, Niederzier and Titz. Local authorities will have the option to take a stake in the new facility once construction is complete.
“For the municipality of Niederzier, the expansion of renewables is one of the pillars of structural change,” said Frank Rombey, mayor of Niederzier. “It is important to invest in the economic development of the region right at our doorstep for the post-mining era.”
The Hambach site forms part of a broader strategy by RWE to transition former mining areas into renewable energy hubs. The two existing PV plants at the mine, one of which includes integrated battery storage, have a combined capacity of 47.2MWp and supply green electricity to the equivalent of approximately 14,500 households.
“Another 14MW will be added to 47.2MW of solar capacity that we are already operating in the RWE Neuland Solar Farm at the Hambach opencast mine,” said Andreas Heller, mayor of Elsdorf and chair of Neuland Hambach’s supervisory board. “We are intending to take a stake in this plant too.”
Commissioning of the new solar facility is scheduled for September.
