Saving Hambach Forest would cost over one billion euros, energy company RWE says

Halting coal mining at the embattled Hambach Forest would cost operator RWE  more than a billion euros, the company said in an article by news agency dpa carried by website n-tv online. “I expect we will hit the billion-euro mark,” RWE board member Lars Kulik said. If the ancient woodland, which has taken on symbolic status for many climate activists, isn’t completely demolished, not only would RWE miss out on revenue from the coal underneath, it would also have to stabilise the open cast mine next to the forest and adapt plans to renature the site.

A court recently gave RWE the right to continue its mining and clearing operations at the forest after a temporary halt due to a pending lawsuit by environmental NGO BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany), which claimed the Hambach Forest had to be protected under EU environmental law. RWE board member Kulik said the company’s decision whether or not to raze the forest would ultimately depend on the expected costs.