Bucket wheeled excavator, Garzweiler open-cast lignite mine, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.


The Tagebau Garzweiler is a large surface mine (German: Tagebau) in the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia. It is operated by RWE and used for mining lignite. The mine currently has a size of 48 km² and got its name from the village of Garzweiler which previously existed at this location. The human settlement was moved to a same named section of Jüchen. The mine is located west of Grevenbroich and exploitation is progressing towards Erkelenz. Mining was originally limited to the km² area Garzweiler I located east of motorway A 44. Mining in the km² Garzweiler II sector started in 2006 and it will take until around 2045 to fully exploit both sectors. The lignite is used for power generation at nearby power plants such as Neurath.


Size: 7185px × 4650px
Location: Garzweiler, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany.
Photo credit: © Clynt Garnham Environmental / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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