Alternative fuels—a new field for mine surveying

Due to the public’s increased interest in renewable energies and the “Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz” (EEG) from February 2000, geothermal energy and other alternative or renewable energies gain more and more importance. As far as Germany is concerned, geothermal energy and coal bed/mine methane are considered as mineral resources according to the German mining law. This demands the participation of mine surveyors/mineral resources managers from the planning to the production stage and even beyond it. The main tasks that have to be fulfilled are, among others, applications for exploration and production licences as well as the evaluation of the resource’s potential. This paper indicates the tasks of mine surveyors/mineral resources managers in the wide area of the renewable energies in Germany, especially concerning the use of geothermal energy and methane.