Reichwalde Coal Mine

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Reichwalde Coal Mine is an operating coal mine in Boxberg, Saxony, Germany.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Mine Name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Reichwalde Coal Mine	Boxberg, Saxony, Germany	51.396367, 14.678249 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the coal mine:

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Project Details

Table 2: Project status

Status	Status Detail	Opening Year	Closing Year
Operating	–	1985	–

Table 3: Operation details

Note: The asterisk (*) signifies that the value is a GEM estimated figure.

Capacity (Mtpa)	Production (Mtpa)	Year of Production	Mine Type	Mining Method	Mine Size (km2)	Mine Depth (m)	Workforce Size
–	12.5	2022	Surface	Open Pit	55	100	1409*

Table 4: Coal resources and destination

Total Reserves (Mt)	Year of Total Reserves Recorded	Total Resources (Mt)	Coalfield	Coal Type	Coal Grade	Primary Consumer/ Destination
366	–	–	–	Lignite	Thermal	Boxberg Power Station

Table 5: Ownership and parent company

Owner	Parent Company	Headquarters
Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG	Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [50.0%]; PPF Investments Ltd [50.0%]	Czech Republic

Table 6: Historical production (unit: million tonnes per annum)

ROM or Saleable	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021	2022	2023
Saleable	13	13	12	6	5	12	6

Note: The above section was automatically generated and is based on data from the Global Coal Mine Tracker April 2024 release and the September supplement.

Background

The Reichwalde coal mine is an open-cast mine operated by LEAG near Boxberg in Saxony, Germany.

The mine provides lignite to the Boxberg Power Station. 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.

• Owner: Lausitz Energie Bergbau AG (LEAG)
• Parent Company: Energetický a průmyslový holding AS [50.0%]; PPF Investments Ltd [50.0%]
• Location: near Boxberg in Saxony, Germany
• GPS Coordinates: 51.396367, 14.678249 (exact)
• Mine Status: Operating
• Production: 5.4 Mt (2021), 12.5 Mt (2022)
• 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:

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Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of world coal mines, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Mine Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.