International TaskForces – March

The seam of lignite at the Welzow-Süd open-cast mine is close to 16 metres thick. It is being mined at depths of up to 130 metres. For the Arocs and its driver, this means: countless kilometres on dirt tracks and frequent starts on steep slopes and loose ground.

Welzow lies to the west of the Spree in southeast Brandenburg. The area surrounding the town, which has a population of just under 4,000 people, is characterised by heathland landscapes with small and large lakes, rivers and moors. In the neighbouring Welzow-Süd open-cast mine, a bucket-wheel excavator weighing more than 6,800 tonnes moves around 14,000 cubic metres of earth every hour. Contained in it are around 1,800 tonnes of lignite. The Welzow-Süd open-cast mine produces up to 20 million tonnes of coal per year.

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