The Anonymous Widower

RWE To Build Large-Scale Storage At Hambach Mine

The title of this post is the same as that of this press release from RWE.

These four bullet points act as sub-headings.

• 236 megawatts capacity and 470 megawatt-hours storage capacity
• First battery containers have been delivered; commissioning is planned for 2027
• Large-scale storage system balances fluctuations in the electricity grid in fractions of a second
• RWE currently constructing around 1.7 Gigawatts of battery storage capacity in Germany

This first paragraph gives some more details.

RWE is continuing to expand its battery storage portfolio and is constructing a new large-scale storage facility on the site of the Hambach opencast mine. The battery storage facility is being built near the village of Niederzier in the district of Düren. Preparatory work on a three-hectare site began at the end of 2025. The first of a total of 128 lithium-ion battery containers have already been delivered. The large-scale storage facility will have a capacity of 236 megawatts (MW) and a storage capacity of 470 megawatt-hours (MWh). The facility is scheduled to come on stream in 2027.

Note.

1. According to the Wikipedia entry for the Hambach opencast mine, it was used to mine lignite or brown coal.
2. The battery will be a two-hour battery.
3. The site was originally the Hambach Forest, of which only ten percent remains, as the rest has been cut down because of the mining.
4. The pit is 500 metres deep.
5. Full cessation of lignite mining planned by 2030 as part of Germany’s coal phase-out.

The site is being gradually transformed into a reclaimed landscape, including the future Hambach lake.

It is well-worth reading the whole Wikipedia entry for the Hambach opencast mine.

August 3, 2026 - Posted by AnonW | Energy, Energy Storage, Environment | Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), Brown Coal, Coal, Floating Solar Power, Germany, Opencast Coal Mining, Pumped Storage Hydroelectricity, RWE, Solar Power