Enlarge image
The double fence in Lützerath: it is one and a half kilometers long
Photo: IMAGO/Jochen Tack
The brown coal town of Lützerath is surrounded by a new fence that is one and a half kilometers long.
The construction is almost finished, only the gates are still missing, said an RWE Group spokesman in the district of Erkelenz.
The gates should be hung during the day.
RWE started erecting the double fence, which is about two meters high, on Wednesday.
The fence is intended to prevent unauthorized persons from entering the locality and to mark the locality as company premises.
Climate activists have been living in empty houses in the village for months.
They want to persevere there to prevent the coal from being burned and to avert damage to the climate.
The evacuation of Lützerath began on Wednesday morning and is to be continued on Thursday.
The energy company RWE wants to excavate the lignite lying below Lützerath - for this purpose the hamlet in the area of the city of Erkelenz is to be demolished.
As soon as the police have declared individual areas to be cleared, excavators are to begin demolition.
"We don't know when that will be," said the RWE spokesman.
»Safety for everyone involved is our top priority.«
For the evacuation, the Aachen police had requested reinforcements from all over Germany in advance.
hba/dpa