Big Oil seizes lithium opportunities
Mining companies could benefit in cash and technology as major fossil fuel companies invest in lithium.
After the Osterfeld 4 mine in Oberhausen was closed in 1993, RAG Montan Immobilien developed various concepts for how it could be reused. The crane building, the coop and the lift tower are on the list of protected buildings, something which posed a unique challenge to the planners. Before the investor, which purchased the entire site including the listed buildings in 2012, could start the building work, the legal procedure which must be followed to prepare the mine for its new purpose had to be carried out. This included comprehensive renovation work and measures to remove dangers at the location, so that the company could release the site from the control of the mining authority and hand it over to the investor at the end of last year.
Complex range of tasks completed
The work was carried out by the department for Health, Safety and Environmental Protection (HSE) at RAG Mining Solutions on behalf of RAG Montan Immobilien. Due to the long period of almost ten years between the closure and the sale of the site, the buildings at the location had naturally fallen into disrepair and been vandalised. The employees therefore began by clearing the site of rubbish and waste and carrying out safety measures on the buildings.
RAG Mining Solutions also carried out the measures for removing dangers at the location which were planed in the legal procedure. This included proper removal and disposal of dangerous substances such as asbestos.
“The complex range of tasks which were carried out over a very short period of time required all those involved to work together closely. This allowed us to achieve our goal of preparing the site for subsequent use together. Once again, the cooperation between RAG Montan Immobilien as the project leader, official representatives, surveyors and experts for the renovation work from RAG Mining Solutions was impeccable,” emphasised Dieter Mantwill, General Manager at RAG Mining Solutions.
