Last year, an Australian delegation led by the German-Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce and Germany Trade & Invest travelled to Germany to find out more about the coal phase-out; the return visit has now taken place in the Australian state of New South Wales. There, in the Hunter Valley coal region near Newcastle, open-cast mines will be closed in the coming years, the spatial and economic-social dimensions of which are comparable to the large German open-cast lignite mines that are also due to be closed.
"On the German side, there is a head start in the regulation of the coal phase-out and in the rehabilitation of post-mining landscapes, especially in the Central German and Lusatian coalfields. Our experience in the planning, financing and implementation of structural change measures and the subsequent use of post-mining landscapes is therefore of particular interest," says Professor Carsten Drebenstedt, who accompanied the delegation. New South Wales is now focusing on green energy technologies for the transformation of the Hunter Region, which has grown through coal mining and its use for electricity generation, steel production and export: "The delegation therefore had the opportunity to familiarise themselves with large-scale projects for battery storage, hydrogen production and wind turbines. But also with ideas and projects for the development of skilled labour potential, start-ups and innovative projects for the use of post-mining landscapes."
