RWE expands renewable portfolio with third solar park at Hambach opencast mine in North Rhine-Westphalia

(IN BRIEF) RWE has commissioned a new 13.9 MW solar farm at Hambach opencast mine near Niederzier, Germany, capable of supplying renewable electricity for around 4,500 households. Built in under five months, the project used AI-powered drone monitoring to track construction progress. It is the third solar plant developed at Hambach, following two existing projects with a combined capacity of 47.2 MW, one of which includes battery storage. The initiative is part of RWE’s collaboration with NEULAND HAMBACH GmbH, representing six neighbouring municipalities, which benefit from both clean energy and revenue sharing. In total, RWE now operates eight solar plants and nine wind farms in the Rhenish region, with more renewable projects under development.

(PRESS RELEASE) ESSEN, 27-Aug-2025 — /EuropaWire/ — RWE has brought a new solar farm online near Niederzier in North Rhine-Westphalia, further strengthening the company’s renewable energy portfolio in the Rhenish region. The photovoltaic plant, built on the western edge of the Hambach opencast mine, has a peak capacity of 13.9 MW (12 MW ac) and covers around 12 hectares with more than 22,000 solar modules. The facility will generate enough green electricity to supply approximately 4,500 households annually.

Construction of the new plant was completed in less than five months, supported by an artificial intelligence tool used for the first time to monitor the building process. The AI system compared drone-captured images with project plans, enabling rapid documentation of progress and swift identification of deviations.

Katja Wünschel, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, said: “Thanks to the tremendous dedication of our team, we were able to commission the plant ahead of schedule. This is already the third solar park implemented at Hambach. It is important to us to involve local communities, which is why our cooperation with NEULAND HAMBACH is so valuable. The region benefits twice: from climate-friendly electricity and from the revenue that flows back to neighbouring municipalities.”

RWE already operates two solar parks at Hambach, one of which is integrated with an 8 MWh battery storage system. Together they have a total capacity of 47.2 MW peak, producing enough renewable energy to supply around 14,500 households. The storage system allows power feed-in to be matched more efficiently with demand. All three facilities have been developed in partnership with NEULAND HAMBACH GmbH, an inter-municipal company representing six municipalities surrounding the opencast mine – Elsdorf, Jülich, Kerpen, Merzenich, Niederzier, and Titz. The municipalities also have the opportunity to participate directly in the new solar project.

With this latest addition, RWE now operates eight solar farms in the Rhenish region, four of which include battery storage. The company also runs nine onshore wind farms in the area and has further solar and wind projects in the pipeline, reinforcing its role in driving the energy transition in North Rhine-Westphalia.

RWE
RWE is leading the way to a modern energy world. With its investment and growth strategy, RWE is contributing significantly to the success of the energy transition and the decarbonisation of the energy system. Around 20,000 employees work for the company in almost 30 countries worldwide.
RWE is one of the leading companies in the field of renewable energy. RWE is investing billions of euros in expanding its generation portfolio, in particular in offshore and onshore wind, solar energy and batteries. It is perfectly complemented by its global energy trading business. Thanks to its integrated portfolio of renewables, battery storage and flexible generation, as well as its broad project pipeline of possible new builds, RWE is well positioned to address the growing global demand for electricity, particularly driven by further electrification and artificial intelligence. RWE is decarbonising its business in line with the 1.5-degree reduction pathway and will phase out coal by 2030. RWE will be net zero by 2040. Fully in line with the company’s purpose – Our energy for a sustainable life.

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Media Contact:

Sarah Knauber
RWE Renewables Europe & Australia GmbH
Spokesperson
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SOURCE: RWE