Achieving a Successful Post-Mining Transition With Renewable Energy

The document explores the 'brownfield to brightfield' transition, where contaminated or abandoned mine sites are repurposed for renewable energy. It highlights two primary examples: the SunMine solar project in Kimberley, BC, and the Windpark Hünxe in Ruhr, Germany. Both cases demonstrate how utilizing former mining land can reduce financial liabilities, leverage existing electrical infrastructure, and provide community economic benefits while mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

• Converting brownfields to 'brightfields' transforms contaminated or abandoned mine sites into renewable energy generators, turning financial liabilities into economic opportunities. In the United States, the government has vetted over 80,000 brownfields for such developments.
• The SunMine project in Kimberley, British Columbia, is a 1.05 MW solar photovoltaic plant opened in 2015 on the site of the former Sullivan Mine. It uses dual-tracking technology to increase energy production by 36% compared to fixed solar projects and provides clean energy to approximately 275 homes.
• SunMine was developed through a multistakeholder partnership involving the City of Kimberley, Teck Cominco, and EcoSmart. Funding included CAD 2 million from Teck Cominco, CAD 1 million from B.C.'s Innovative Clean Energy Fund, CAD 300,000 from the Columbia Basin Trust, and CAD 50,000 from the Southern Interior Development Initiative Trust, with the City of Kimberley borrowing an additional CAD 2 million.
• The Windpark Hünxe in the Ruhr region of Germany consists of three 3-MW Enercon E115 wind turbines built on the Lohberg Nord Erweiterung waste rock pile. The project cost EUR 15.8 million and became operational in July 2018, generating 32,800 MWh in 2020 and saving 24,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
• Building wind turbines on waste rock piles offers specific advantages: higher altitudes increase wind speed and energy yields, it prevents the deforestation required for other sites, and the distance from residential areas reduces local opposition to noise and visual impact.
• Windpark Hxe benefited from the German Renewable Energy Sources Act's previous regulations because its permit was granted in December 2016, before the 2017 shift to a tender-based system. This secured a higher government-set feed-in remuneration of EUR 0.0731 per kWh for 20 years, compared to the 2017 tender high of EUR 0.0578.
• Technical challenges in these conversions include sedimentary variability in reclaimed land (SunMine) and the need for soil improvement measures, such as 450 vibro stone columns, to ensure stability on artificial waste rock piles (Windpark Hxe).

APA

Kuehl, J., & Church, C. (2022). Achieving a Successful Post-Mining Transition With Renewable Energy. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/igf-case-study-post-mining-transition-renewable-energy.pdf

Chicago

Kuehl, Jonas, and Clare Church. Achieving a Successful Post-Mining Transition With Renewable Energy. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2022. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/igf-case-study-post-mining-transition-renewable-energy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Kuehl |first1=Jonas |last2=Church |first2=Clare |title=Achieving a Successful Post-Mining Transition With Renewable Energy |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=2022 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/igf-case-study-post-mining-transition-renewable-energy.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{kuehl2022achieving, author = {Kuehl, Jonas and Church, Clare}, title = {{Achieving a Successful Post-Mining Transition With Renewable Energy}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2022-01/igf-case-study-post-mining-transition-renewable-energy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }