December 9 (Renewables Now) – German energy group RWE AG (ETR:RWE) this week said it will build a 16.8-MW solar project at Hambach Mine, expanding its green portfolio in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, after an auction success.
The company secured the project in the German Federal Network Agency’s solar tender with a November 1 bidding date. The facility will add to a solar plant with a battery at Inden Mine and to two similar plants that RWE has started building at Garzweiler Mine.
The new solar park, called RWE Neuland 1 Solarpark, will be installed on the future banks of the planned Lake Hambach, near the PV Hambach I solar plus storage project.
“It will be many years before Lake Hambach will fill up to its final water level, so the premises can be used temporarily for these two large solar farms. With this step, we are once more demonstrating that the still active opencast areas can also already be used to contribute to the energy transition,” said Lars Kulik, CTO Lignite at RWE Power.
Construction of the new facility could start in the summer of 2023 after building permit has been secured.
RWE is investing EUR 4 billion (USD 4.2bn) in North Rhine-Westphalia by 2030 and aims to build 1 GW of renewables projects, of which at least 500 MW in the Rhenish lignite mining district.
(EUR 1 = USD 1.056)
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