Bidding Farewell to the Past: Peter Schrimpf, the Retiring RAG CEO Who Shut Down the Last German Coal Mine
Coal magnate bids farewell, shuts down final coal mine: Farewell from RAG's head honcho. - Ended the final excavation site's operation.
Here's the scoop on the outgoing head of a former mining giant: Peter Schrimpf, aged 68, bid adieu to RAG (formerly Ruhrkohle AG) on June 30, 2023, concluding a career that marked the end of German hard coal mining.
Bold moves, symbolic gestures, and a dramatic finale... Schrimpf and Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier were presented with the last lump of hard coal mined in Germany at the Prosper Haniel mine in Bottrop in December 2018.
Taking charge in 2018, Schrimpf has been ceaselessly associated with RAG. A deep mining heritage runs in his family—his father was a miner in Hamm. Beginning in 1984, at the Radbod mine in Hamm when close to 170,000 people were employed in the German hard coal industry, a much bigger number compared to today, Schrimpf started his career as a mining engineer. Rising through the ranks, he joined Deutsche Steinkohle AG's board in 2004, and served as RAG's CEO after its rebranding in 2018.
A prolific period of job cuts loomed large over Schrimpf's tenure, particularly after the phase-out deadline for coal mining in Germany passed in 2007. To create a socially acceptable phase-out by 2018, he spearheaded the reduction of RAG's workforce by approximately 30,000 people, either through early retirement or external placement. In 2018, RAG employed around 2,000 people, a figure that has now shrunk to around 600 employees.
Schrimpf treasures the mutual respect, camaraderie, and solidarity in the mining community. In conversation with the German Press Agency dpa, he shared his insights, remarking, "I've seen it all, even if people might not believe it."
The RAG Foundation holds a 100% stake in RAG AG, which is tasked with ensuring the groundwater level does not surpass specific heights. This is key due to groundwater often being contaminated with salts and chemicals, pooling in the empty mine cavities post-mining, and threatening the drinking water layers if not continuously pumped out.
As for Schrimpf's successor, no official announcement has been made as of yet. Stay tuned!
- Despite the significant reduction in employment due to the phase-out of coal mining, Peter Schrimpf, the retiring RAG CEO, values the mutual respect, camaraderie, and solidarity within the mining community, having started his career in the EC countries' employment sector during a time when over 170,000 people were employed in the German hard coal industry.
- As distinct from the hundreds of thousands employed in the German coal industry during Schrimpf's early career, the RAG now employs around 600 people, a shift that necessitates carefully managed tasks such as ensuring groundwater levels do not exceed certain heights in the former mining sites, a responsibility under the RAG Foundation's purview in the finance and industry sectors.
