A New Life for Old Mines – The Use of Legacy Mining Structures for Energy, Water, and Infrastructure Systems

Germany has been shaped by mining for centuries. Today, disused mines represent an extremely promising underground infrastructure that can be utilised for the storage and use of energy, water and other strategic resources. Building on concepts such as Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) and Mine Thermal Energy Storage (MTES), the focus is increasingly shifting to multifunctional utilisation scenarios in which mining cavities are given a completely new perspective.

The geometric configuration and the high degree of exploration of many mines enable a comparatively precise characterisation of underground structures. At the same time, they offer favourable conditions for the integration of technical systems as well as for monitoring and operation under real conditions. This results in new fields of application, including seasonal heat storage, hydraulic storage solutions, water management and the utilisation of underground spaces as energy-efficient locations for critical infrastructure.

In addition to traditional applications, system-integrated approaches are becoming increasingly important. The coupling of underground storage facilities with continuously occurring waste heat sources opens up new possibilities for seasonal energy storage in conjunction with local heating or cooling networks.

The colloquium addresses coupled underground processes, monitoring and modelling strategies, questions of material and interface stability and integration into existing energy networks. The aim is to deepen the understanding of mines as multifunctional underground infrastructures and to show ways for their scalable use in future energy and infrastructure systems.