Germany's three lignite mining regions | Clean Energy Wire
Germany used to be the largest lignite producer in the world since the beginning of industrial lignite mining. However, China overtook the country and production today far outstrips that in Germany.. The softer and moister lignite (also called brown or soft coal) has a lower calorific value than hard coal and can only be mined in opencast operations. . When burned, it is more CO2 intensive ...