Subject
The E&P industry in Germany is in a phase of upheaval: not only must it be anchored in politics and society that natural gas and its storage as well as domestic oil production will continue to play a relevant, albeit declining, role in the coming decades, even in times of climate protection. We also have to demonstrate the environmental compatibility of our activities if we want to maintain acceptance for our industry. This includes dealing with the consequences of exploration and extraction activities at an early stage and involving the relevant social groups.
Against this background, an important goal is to develop a deeper understanding of post-mining processes in raw material extraction operations. In doing so, the knowledge and experience from the various surface and underground sectors of the oil and gas industry must be integrated. Similar kinds of upheaval that the oil and gas industry is facing has been taking place in conventional coal mining in Germany for some time. Consequently, since 2012 the requirements resulting from the end of West German coal mining have been determining the range of courses and research activities at the Georg Agricola University of Technology in Bochum (THGA), which has been closely linked to the development of mining both nationally and internationally for over 200 years. In 2015 the Research Centre for Post-Mining (FZN) was therefore founded at the THGA.
