Current project

REECOL: for sustainable ecological rehabilitation of coal mines in Europe

The European REECOL project for ecological rehabilitation and long-term monitoring of post-mining areas) began in July 2023. The aim is to propose a procedure to support the transition of coal-mining areas.

24 September 2024

REECO Logo's project.

Project objectives

Coal mining became increasingly important during the industrial revolution of the 19^th and 20^th centuries, when demand for fossil fuels to generate electricity, heat buildings and power steam engines increased. There are around 50 mining regions in Europe, the most active being in Germany and Poland. Although coal extraction has fallen by around 3% a year over the last decade, around 480 million tonnes were extracted in 2020 and the coal industry is estimated to have employed up to 185,000 people.

The European institutions intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030. The plan is for Europe to become climate neutral by 2050. This is one of the European Union's crucial objectives, as set out in the Green Pact for Europe. Within this framework, Europe aims to move away from coal and reduce coal-fired power stations by two-thirds by 2030.

The overall aim of the REECOL project, coordinated by Poltegor (Poland), is to draw on existing knowledge and experience of post-mining rehabilitation approaches in order to propose a procedure to support the transition of coal-mining areas. Such a procedure will have to take into account ecosystem rehabilitation and monitoring, future land-use and the affordability of solutions.

Coal mine (Slovenia).

Objectives

REECOL has five specific objectives:

1. Assessing and compiling knowledge and experience of post-mining rehabilitation strategies.

2. Developing and testing new solutions for land reclamation, revegetation and ecosystem rehabilitation after mining, and analysing the costs and benefits of the proposed solutions.

3. Developing and testing effective short- and long-term monitoring tools for ecosystem rehabilitation, that are adapted to various post-mining rehabilitation strategies.

4. Developing an innovative certification method for the rehabilitation of ecosystems in post-mining areas.

5. Familiarising stakeholders and disseminating results in coal-mining regions that are undergoing transition, with innovative and sustainable ecological rehabilitation options, the requirements for their implementation, long-term viability and socio-economic impact.

Illustration of the methodology for assessing small- and large-scale ecological functions

Study programme

The project comprises 4 technical work packages, a coordination and management work package and a promotion and distribution work package. It is organised in such a way that each technical work package meets one of the project's specific objectives, namely:

A task to identify post-mining areas and strategies for rehabilitating the ecosystems.
A task to develop new solutions for the reclamation of post-mining land and their testing in the case study areas.
A task concerning the methodology for short- and long-term monitoring.
A task to produce guidebooks and provisional certification-guidelines.

Several study sites are targeted in the various partner countries, some in places where long-term restoration work has already been implemented and will be monitored, and others where innovative rehabilitation trials will be carried out as part of the project. One of these sites is located in northern France and is being monitored by Ineris, which is also a partner in the project (Mazingarbe site).

BRGM’s role

BRGM is coordinating the task involving the short- and long-term monitoring of sites by means of soil functionality measurements, as well as the cost-benefit assessment of the various rehabilitation and reconversion solutions.