Current issue 1/2025

Editorial

The climate-friendly generation of heat energy is part of the energy transition in Germany. Geothermal energy is the keyword here, especially deep geothermal energy. It is emission-free and potentially available everywhere and independently of the weather. Near Munich, the district heating network has been supplied with warm water from a deep borehole since 2011, and similar projects are currently underway in Berlin, Potsdam and Schwerin. But why has deep geothermal energy for the heat transition not yet become established across the board, and what alternatives are there for the heating sector? This issue of Mining Report Glückauf addresses this question, among others.

Deep geothermal energy offers the opportunity to use regionally available resources and thus reduce dependence on energy imports. However, it requires significant investment in exploration and infrastructure. Government incentives and funding programmes could help to improve economic efficiency. Corresponding strategies for optimising and accelerating the exploration of deep geothermal energy, such as air and soil physical exploration methods, the use of seismic methods, alternative utilisation techniques and the granting of mining permits, could further reduce costs and risks. In addition, water bodies and flowing waters such as lakes, rivers and aquifers, but also mine water, are becoming increasingly interesting for energy supply. The status quo, the potentials and challenges in the energetic use of mine water are outlined in an article, as is the underground storage of hydrogen.

In the past, mining of fossil fuels was the backbone of energy supply. In the future, this is to be provided entirely by renewable energies. But this also requires raw materials and thus mining. To this end, the EU has established key points with the Raw Materials Act, which are to be implemented in national mining law.

The shift in energy supply towards renewable energies has led to a decision to phase out coal in almost all EU countries, which has been accompanied at the European level by the Coal Regions in Transition Initiative since 2017 and by the Just Transition Mechanism since 2020. In addition to considerable funding from the EU budget, these include a variety of regional measures. This raises the question of the extent to which these are economically justified or whether they amount to a planned economic control that neither helps the affected regions nor can be in the overall economic interest of the EU.

In the “ISSA Mining” section, we present the PROGRESS research project, which provides insights into health and safety at work, report on a rescue exercise carried out by the fire brigade in the quarry in Hemer and present a solution for dust control at belt transfers. The “Post-Mining” section takes stock of the coal phase-out in Germany in favour of renewable energies.

With my best regards