Protests, occupied excavators, roadblocks on country roads – the situation in Lützerath in North Rhine-Westphalia is becoming increasingly tense. The village in the Rhineland lignite mining area, occupied by climate protectors, is about to be evacuated due to a residence ban. Police have been on duty since the start of the week to support the work of energy supply group RWE, which now fully owns the place.
According to climate activists, about 300 people are currently in Lützerath to block RWE construction work. Since the beginning of the week, the police have been preparing to evacuate the village. Activists also erected barricades and fireworks and stones were thrown at emergency services.
RWE mines lignite in the Rhineland mining area west of Cologne. The village of Lützerath is also in the area of the northern district. The now uninhabited village is being excavated because RWE wants to expand the Garzweiler opencast mine and extract the coal lying beneath the site.
More demand for coal due to energy crisis
In October, the Essen-based energy company agreed with the Greens-led federal and North Rhine-Westphalian ministries of economics to end lignite generation by 2030, instead of 2038, as previously extended by the end of March 2024.
According to the authorities, the coal under Lützerath is needed to extract the necessary quantities of coal by 2030. According to the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Economic Affairs, the coal is also needed to keep the lignite industry running at high capacity during the energy crisis.
Due to the energy crisis, there is “a greater demand for lignite, which is necessary to maintain security of supply”, it officially says. However, expert reports from the Coalexit Research Group and the German Institute for Economic Research recently concluded that energy supply during the crisis would also be possible without the coal under Lützerath.
Will the village be sacrificed for a coal phase-out?
Climate protectors fight for the preservation of the village and want to prevent it from being demolished. They advocate a moratorium on evictions. They warn of damage to the environment and animals and see compliance with the 1.5 degree target of the Paris climate agreement at risk. Environmentalists accused the Greens of “sacrificing” the town of Lützerath for the agreement with RWE on a 2030 coal phase-out.
That is why there have recently been repeated protests against the advance of open-pit mining. The environmentalists joined forces to form the action alliance Lützerath, which also includes Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and the Last Generation. According to their own statements, they want to fight for “global climate justice” in Lützerath. (AFP/jmh)