RWTH Aachen University

On 18th and 19th June 2026, the MiningForum will once again take place at the Hotel Estrel Berlin, Berlin/Germany, and bring together leading experts, decision-makers and thought leaders from the German, European and international raw materials industry. As one of the most important networking platforms, the conference has been dedicated to the pressing challenges and opportunities of a sustainable raw materials supply for over 30 years.

With more than 50 specialist presentations, interactive discussion panels and a trade exhibition, MiningForum 2026 offers a 360° view of current developments in the industry. Under the motto “Raw Materials Momentum”, the MiningForum will highlight the crucial role of the raw materials sector for the diverse transformation tasks and far beyond. Raw materials form the foundation of our modern lives, from everyday products to high-tech innovations. MiningForum 2026 shows how the sector can fulfil its social mission efficiently, competitively and sustainably.

The event is characterised by a strategic partnership: Prof. Elisabeth Clausen, Head of the Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT) at RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany, and Jens-Peter Lux, Managing Director of DMT GROUP, Essen/Germany, are combining their scientific and industrial expertise to provide important impetus for the industry with the MiningForum (Figure 1).

MiningForum 2026 offers a high-profile, international platform for dialogue between stakeholders from politics, business, science and civil society and provides impetus for innovative technologies, strategic partnerships and sustainable mining.

“The increasing uncertainty of global supply chains emphasises how urgently we need a resilient supply of raw materials. Only through sustainable strategies and innovative technologies can we create the basis for a stable and future-proof economy and society,” says Prof Clausen.

Cooperation between all relevant players is essential for the future of the raw materials sector. The cooperation with the AMT is an example of how industrial pragmatism, technological innovation and applied research can make a significant contribution to a secure and sustainable supply of raw materials.

“A secure and sustainable supply of raw materials can only be guaranteed through the interaction of industry, science, politics and civil society. Together, we must create suitable market mechanisms, drive innovation and develop sustainable solutions in order to successfully meet the challenges of the future,” explains Lux.

The conference offers participants an outstanding opportunity for knowledge exchange, an established platform for networking and for developing new partnerships to work together on the present and future of a resilient, reliable and sustainable supply of raw materials. (DMT/Si.)

HPM 2025 is a premier international platform that unites mine operators, technology providers, researchers, and policymakers from around the globe, dedicated to inspiring change and making the mine of the future tangible.

At HPM 2025, the programme is designed to spark thought-provoking discussions through keynotes, panel discussions, and collaborative presentations that explore cutting-edge advancements in the areas of mine automation, digitalisation, and electrification, all within the broader vision of a human-centred, climate-smart mine. Sessions will focus on an integrated approach that considers people, technology, and the environment as essential drivers of innovation and transformation.

Further information can be found on the event page

The 35th Annual General Meeting of the Society of Mining Professors will take place in Aachen, Germany, on September 04-10, 2025. The Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies at RWTH Aachen University, recognized for its excellence in applied research and innovation in underground automation and digitalization, will host this pivotal event.

–> Announcement Flyer as PDF

The 5th Colloquium on raw materials, environmental and climate protection (Kolloquium zu Rohstoff-, Umwelt- und Klimaschutzfragen – KRUK) took place online on 22nd January 2024 with Prof. Walter Frenz, Teaching and Research Area of Mining and Environmental Law (BUR) and Prof. Axel Preuße, Institute for Marrow Sheath, Mining Damage Science and Geophysics in Mining (IfM), of RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany, as hosts with about 50 participants. The focus was on the reform of the German mining law, securing a good supply of raw materials, the EU Critical Raw Materials Act and the transformation process at state and municipal level. Hartmut Kühne, Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK), explained that the key issues paper had been completed as a precursor to the draft bill and parliamentary procedure and is now in consultation. For economic reasons, merging the mining license and operating plan procedure was not an option. A discretionary decision by the authority in the approval process is also rejected. Matthias Schlotmann, Managing Director of the Bundesverband Keramische Rohstoffe und Industrieminerale e.V., emphasized that Germany is rich in mineral raw materials with a primarily medium-sized industry. The preservation of mining in Germany is therefore of particular importance. With the very complex framework operating plan procedures, a switch to a discretionary decision of the authorities would be a major risk for companies. Björn Knudsen, Managing Director of the Verband der Kali- und Salzindustrie e.V., explained that the modernization of mining law should be characterized by an acceleration through prioritization and streamlining of procedures. Prof. Frenz emphasized that the special regulations of the Federal Mining Act (BBergG) already led to comprehensive consideration of environmental concerns. The licensing regime has proven its worth and the entitlement to licensing must be retained for clear company perspectives.

Wolfgang Reimer, Geokompetenzzentrum Freiberg, explained that the EU Critical Raw Materials Act was important for a sustainable supply of raw materials in the EU member states. Prof. Helmut Maurer, Law Firm Kunz RAe, spoke about the EU circular economy in connection with primary and secondary raw materials. Alexandra Renz, Ministry for Economic Affairs, Innovation, Digitalization and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, presented the status of the transformation. The coal phase-out was brought forward to 2030 in a key points agreement between the federal government and RWE in the Coal Power Generation Termination Act (KVBG) for North Rhine-Westphalia. The downsizing also requires new planning, as it was not previously provided for by law. Benjamin Fadavian, Mayor of the City of Herzogenrath, finally presented the transformation of the town at municipal level. In particular, the subsequent uses of the Herzogenrath Technology Park and one of the largest solar parks in North Rhine-Westphalia on the site of the Nivelsteiner Sandwerke are positive examples. (Fischer, BUR – RWTH /Si.)

The Helmuth-Burckhardt Prize 2023 of the German Raw Materials and Mining Association (VRB), Berlin/Germany, went to two prizewinners this year, Hannah Weinbach M.Sc. and Dipl.-Ing. Daniel Sensenschmidt (Figure 1).

The German Mining Association awarded the prize to the young academics at its general meeting on 14th September 2023 in Berlin. The Burckhardt Prize has been awarded annually since 1971 for outstanding exam results in the Master’s degree in raw materials engineering or the major state examination. The award is intended to enable the prizewinner to gain further insights into mining abroad as part of a study trip.

Hannah Weinbach completed her Master’s degree at RWTH Aachen University with a “very good” grade. She gained experience abroad at university level as part of the European Mining Course with semesters abroad in Finland and the Netherlands. As part of her Master’s thesis, she successfully analysed the possible applications of geophysical measurement methods for exploring and securing legacies from old near-surface mining using the example of the former Robertshall lignite mine.

Daniel Sensenschmidt is a graduate of the TU Bergakademie Freiberg. He completed his Master’s degree with “very good”. He has already gained experience abroad in the USA and Namibia. He also wrote his thesis in Namibia on “Development and economic evaluation of an underground mining concept for the Ondoto light rare earth deposit”.

Both candidates have familiarised themselves with many branches of raw materials in Germany and abroad, with Sensenschmidt having focused his studies more on ore mining and industrial minerals, while Weinbach has gained practical experience with energy raw materials and is intensively involved in post-mining issues. Both candidates have language skills and have also been involved in voluntary work during their studies.

Weinbach is now employed as a project engineer for authorisation procedures, mine planning and abandoned mines at SST Ingenieurgesellschaft GmbH in Aachen, while Sensenschmidt is employed as a mining engineer at Gebr. Knauf KG in Iphofen.

For the VRB selection committee, the decisive factor in choosing them as this year’s prize winners was that they

• can demonstrate a wide range of study specialisations, work experience and voluntary work at the same time;
• have completed their studies within the standard period of study with outstanding, very good degrees; and
• have also been able to gain a wide range of experience abroad in academia and practice.

(VRB/Si.)

The Institute for Advanced Mining Technologies (AMT) of the RWTH Aachen University, Aachen/Germany, together with the VDMA Mining, organised the 2nd International High Performance Mining Conference from 16th to 19th November 2020. The event took place online for the first time due to the corona pandemic (Figure 1). The 196 participants, who connected via a Whova platform, exchanged information and ideas with each other via an app. The conference was held in English and in 15 international presentations addressed the following topics: Autonomous Mine, Green Mine and People’s Mine. The conference started with a South America Day and it was accompanied by a digital exhibition.

Unlike the previous physical events, the conference appealed to a wider and more international audience thanks to the digital format. Over 1,000 messages were exchanged via the Whova platform, i. e. although the participants were not very active in the virtual meetings, a lively bilateral exchange took place. There were numerous contributions to the topic of discussion concerning the skills engineers need in the future.

Based on the experience, virtual networking is not comparable to a physical conference. The participants received the app very differently and participated at varying levels. The opportunities are there to include a very diverse and international audience, as well as international speakers, and to be able to deliver very high-quality presentations. The challenges are that the entire interpersonal domain cannot really be depicted in the digital format. Overall, the digital format offers completely new opportunities, but challenges too.

The Smart Mining Conference will take place again in November 2021. The format has not currently been clarified. The exact date will be announced in due course. (RWTH/Si.)

Kohleausstiegsgesetz: Inhalt und Folgen

Das Kohleausstiegsgesetz ist inzwischen verabschiedet. Wir planen unser Kolloquium zum Kohleausstiegsgesetz für den 26.01.2021, um mit Ihnen dieses Gesetz näher zu erörtern: Einerseits wird kritisiert, dass der Ausstiegspfad weniger ambitioniert sei als von der Kohlekommission vorgesehen. Andererseits wird die Erhöhung der Strompreise kritisiert. Diese Eckpunkte gilt es zu diskutieren und vor allem mit den entscheidenden rechtlichen Problemen zu verknüpfen.

Nach Klärung der Entschädigungszahlungen geht es nun darum, obweitere Enteignungen und Umsiedlungen erfolgen können. Dagegen wendet sich eine Verfassungsbeschwerde gegen das Kohleverstromungsbeendigungsgesetz. Sie fordert auch ein Vorziehen des Kohleausstigs auf 2030 zu Recht?

Wirkt sich das Kohleausstiegsgesetz bzw. der Kohleausstieg auch auf die Sicherheitsleistungen aus? Inwieweit werden die Planungen im Rheinland beeinflusst, welche in dem Wirtschafts- und Strukturprogramm 1.0 schon sehr weit vorangeschritten waren? Welche Rolle spielt die Energiespeicherung? Wie weit sind die Forschungen hierzu vorangeschritten und welcher Forschungsbedarf besteht noch?

Alle diese Fragen werden von Experten aus unterschiedlichen Fachrichtungen und Bereichen am 26.01.2021 beim dann 21. KBU näher diskutiert. Wir würden uns freuen, Sie zur Tagung „Kohleausstiegsgesetz: Inhalt und Folgen“ begrüßen zu dürfen.