Lignite Energy: Long-term Cost-efficient Industrial Fuel "Made in Germany"

COLOGNE, Germany, November 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

RWE Power AG increases production capacities by 500,000 tons - Guaranteed long-term supply at predictable costs

All over Europe, dried and pulverized lignite from the Rhenish lignite mining area is increasingly gaining ground as a process energy available at much lower cost compared with oil and gas. It is marketed by Rheinbraun Brennstoff GmbH (RBB), a subsidiary of RWE Power AG, under the product name "lignite energy pulverized".

As the continent's only energy source available in larger amounts in the long term, lignite can be used in upgraded form as "lignite energy pulverized" for many applications, delivered by either railway tank waggon or silo truck, especially in the lime, cement and asphalt industry, in industrial drying processes and in the paper industry. Other important areas are agribusiness and fodder production where the low-cost fuel is successfully used for lucerne (alfalfa) drying, in particular.

Lignite is mined - unlike hard coal - in opencast operations, making extraction much more cost-effective. Which is why upgrading products, like "lignite energy pulverized", are competitive at international level as well. One crucial edge that customers have is that they can calculate on a stable basis thanks to long-term supply contracts with guaranteed, fixed prices.

Companies all over Europe benefit from low-cost energy

To increase supply flexibility further, RBB uses two modern handling terminals with a silo capacity of 700 tons each near Ulm and in Brandenburg an der Havel. Another important hub for marketing this fuel in Eastern Europe is the Czech Beroun location, from where it is supplied to Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Romania and Hungary. France and the Benelux countries are serviced from Strasbourg and Ghent, while the headquarters at Frechen are the direct contact for customers in Germany and the Alpine region.

Together with the production sites near Cologne - RWE Power commissioned a second bowl-mill crusher here in July 2012 increasing its annual capacity by 500,000 tons - the tight marketing network ensures ground-covering supply on low-cost conditions.

For further information please visit http://www.rheinbraun-benelux.com or mail to energy.uk@rwe.com

Rheinbraun Benelux
Rolf Rodenkirchen
Industrieweg 14
B - 9032 Wondelgem
Tel : +32(0)9-340-55-29
Tel : +49(0)221-480-23293
Mobil : +49(0)17-32-56-00-45
Fax : +49(0)221-480-23294
E-Mail: energy.uk@rwe.com