New operations building in Herne strengthens safe mine water management in the Ruhr region
With a new operations building at the RAG site in Herne/Germany, RAG Aktiengesellschaft, Essen/Germany, is strengthening its infrastructure for one of the key long-term tasks of post-mining: safe mine water management in the Ruhr region. Together with the central control room, the sustainable operations building will in future form a key hub for operational management and logistics. RAG inaugurated the operations building on 26 June 2026. The Lord Mayor of Herne, Frank Dudda, also attended the inauguration.
“Mine water management is essential for safe post-mining operations and a key long-term responsibility of RAG Aktiengesellschaft. To fulfil this mandate in the long term, we need technical excellence, reliability and sustainable practices,” emphasises Joachim Löchte, Chief Technical Officer of RAG Aktiengesellschaft. “The new operations building brings together precisely these requirements. It strengthens our capacity to act and supports us in managing mine water in the Ruhr region safely and efficiently in the long term.”
Herne is closely linked to the history of mining through the former Pluto colliery site. Today, the site also symbolises transformation: from hard coal mining to an infrastructure that safeguards post-mining operations in the long term. The new operations building makes this transition visible and demonstrates how former industrial sites can be put to new, forward-looking use.
“The Ruhr region is on its way to becoming a green industrial region – a prime example of this is RAG’s new operations building here in Herne. For our city, the site of the former Pluto colliery is a place steeped in tradition. We therefore welcome all the more RAG’s clear commitment to Herne as a location, which will strengthen the area in the long term. “The new operations building exemplifies the successful structural change and the transformation of former industrial sites into a sustainable, digital industrial region,” says Herne’s Lord Mayor Frank Dudda.
At the Herne site, mine water management is already being controlled from the central control room. The new building now adds another crucial component: the logistics for mine water management. The approximately 1,700 square metres of space includes, amongst other things, storage areas for 50 mine water pumps and motors. Thanks to its central location, spare parts can in future be transported to the operational units of the mine water management system within a short time. In addition, the building houses a canteen as well as offices and meeting rooms for around 40 staff members. The new building thus combines operational functionality, short distances and reliable processes at a central location in the Ruhr region. Further information on mine water management: www.rag.de/wasserhaltung
Sustainability also played an important role in the planning and construction of the building; only recycled or recyclable building materials were used. In addition, photovoltaic systems on the roof and façade generate electricity to meet the building’s own energy requirements.
This commitment is particularly evident on the façade: the approximately 1,400 photovoltaic modules in three shades of grey are designed to evoke the hard coal mining history of the former Pluto mine site, thus bridging the gap between the industrial past and today’s post-mining activities. At the same time, they supply energy for the infrastructure through which RAG fulfils its long-term mission. (RAG/MRG)
