2023: Mibrag produces 30 percent less coal than in the previous year
Zimmer climbs the drop down a metal staircase. The wind blows in his face. The conveyor belts whir constantly. But the impression of uniformity is deceptive. In 2022, during the energy crisis, Mibrag produced around 17 million tons of coal. Last year it was almost 30 percent less. Coal is losing importance in the energy mix.
2023 was a very difficult year for Mibrag, says Zimmer. You can clearly see that the power plants are now being used differently. “Of course, we only produce when the power plants need the coal. There are times when nothing works. And then there are times when the units are full. And that is very demanding for us.”
Zimmer runs into the dropper’s cab. Ralf Atzler is enthroned up here. The equipment operator sits in front of screens and decides where the spoil falls. Atzler says: “We have our guidelines as to how we should tilt according to GPS. And then we do that.” He has been there for 41 years now.
Before the coal phase-out: Final steps towards reusability
When asked whether the word coal phase-out scared him, Atzler replied: “You can’t say fear directly. But we have to do something for the young people so that the whole structural change can somehow continue there. We definitely need industrial jobs. ”
A coal company can go green, will go green.
Bastian Zimmer Head of Planning Mibrag
Mibrag still has around 1,400 employees. Some will continue to work when coal production ends. As head of planning, Bastian Zimmer is also responsible for recultivation. Dumping the spoil is the first step towards reusability.
“So we’re filling up this opencast mine again,” explains Zimmer. “We bring cultivable soil to the top layer, create agricultural land on it and then give it to the farmers.” In the future, the focus will move from agriculture to forests, says Zimmer. “So we will create more and more forest areas here and also areas for natural development.”
A green coal company? Earn money after coal
And then? How does Mibrag earn money then? Zimmer gets into his car. He drives to the other end of the opencast mine. The company has built a solar field here. Wind turbines and an electrolyzer are also to be built on some recultivated areas.
“A coal company can go green, will go green,” says Zimmer. He is very sure of that. “We are developing new business areas that are sustainable. And that will also create new jobs.”
However, coal is still the core business. And solar parks and wind turbines won’t replace every job. Mibrag can also imagine other business areas: electrolysis, recycling services. What really happens will also depend on whether the company can still earn enough from lignite for new investments.
2024-03-04 04:18:02
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