Ship Lift Niederfinow

Lignite mining in the Rhenish lignite mining area will come to an end in a few years. As part of the final phase of recultivation, water from the Rhine will be used to fill the planned open-pit lakes Hambach and Garzweiler, supply the wetlands in the northern area of the Garzweiler mine, and establish permanently stable groundwater conditions. To transport the required water volumes from the Rhine, a Rhine water transport pipeline, along with the necessary infrastructure, will be constructed by 2030.

Depending on the water level, up to 18 m³/s of water will be extracted from the Rhine near Dormagen and transported via the pipeline to the Hambach and Garzweiler mines. Approximately ten years after the start of flooding, a large water surface will already be available in the Hambach mine. The target water levels of the mining lakes will be reached after around 40 years. The Rhine water transport pipeline will continue operating for another 30 years to compensate for infiltration losses. After this period, the lakes will be fully sustained by natural groundwater inflow.