Lights Out for German Coal: Wrapping Up a Legacy - RAG CEO Hangs Up the Helmet
Coal mine shutdown announced by RAG CEO amid retirement: closure marks the end of an era. - Shut down the final mining operation.
Hey there! It's time to bid farewell to the mastermind behind the end of an era—Peter Schrimpf, the CEO of RAG, is stepping down at the end of June.
He and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier were presented with the last piece of hard coal mined in Germany back in December 2018, marking the end of Germany's hard coal mining industry under Schrimpf's leadership.
Schrimpf has served as the CEO of RAG since 2018, taking on the helm of the once Deutsche Steinkohle AG, which he joined as a board member in 2004. His father was a miner, and he started his career in 1984 as a young mining engineer at the Radbod mine in Hamm when around 170,000 people were employed in the German hard coal industry.
The winding down of hard coal mining workforce has been a longstanding challenge for Schrimpf, especially post the 2007 deadline for phasing out coal mining in Germany. "The tug-of-war to shape a socially acceptable phase-out by 2018 was undeniably the toughest hurdle," he shared with the German Press Agency dpa. Over the years, they managed to reduce their workforce by approximately 30,000, either by offering early retirement or external placement. In 2018, there were still around 2,000 employees, and today, RAG employs around 600 people.
Schrimpf fondly recalls the "clear camaraderie, and palpable solidarity in the mines," echoing common sentiments about the mining community.
RAG AG, a 100% RAG Foundation entity, is responsible for funding ongoing post-mining costs of German hard coal mining, with a key responsibility of ensuring that the water levels in the mines don't exceed certain heights. Water in these mines is often contaminated and collecting in the unfilled cavities post hard coal mining requires continuous pumping to prevent drinking water layers from contamination.
The future CEO has yet to be announced, so stay tuned for updates!
- Keywords:
- RAG
- Leadership Change
- Retirement
- CEO
- Germany
- Hard Coal Mining
- Frank-Walter Steinmeier
- Bottrop
- Hamm
Insights:The enrichment data couldn't provide details on the successor of Peter Schrimpf or the exact date of the announcement. It's recommended to check the official RAG website or recent news releases for any updates.
- The EC countries should consider implementing employment policies to support the transition of workers from the declining hard coal industry, such as retraining programs and financial aid, following the retirement of Peter Schrimpf, the CEO of RAG, who led the hard coal industry's phase-out in Germany.
- With the decline of the hard coal industry in Germany, there is a need for EC countries and private companies to invest in the growth of alternative industries like industry, finance, energy, oil-and-gas, to create new employment opportunities for displaced workers.
- In the leadership transition at RAG, the new CEO should prioritize maintaining the company's commitment to addressing environmental challenges, such as continuously pumping water from former hard coal mining sites to prevent contamination of drinking water layers, as part of a comprehensive employment policy to ensure a sustainable future for the company and its workforce.
