Background. The Hambach mine is a surface coal mine, operated by RWE Power in Niederzier and Elsdorf, North Rhine–Westphalia, Germany. With an area of 4,380 hectares (as of 2022) and an approved maximum size of 8,500 hectares, Hambach mine is the largest open pit mine in Germany. An estimated 1,350 million tonnes of lignite are still ...