— This paper evaluates policy measures implemented in the two largest German hard coal mining areas in the context of the phase-out of hard coal production between 1950 and 2018, to derive lessons for future phase-out pathways, motivated by climate policy concerns.

Germany now has to meet all its hard coal requirements through imports because German hard coal mining had been phased out. In 2021, Germany imported around 20.5 million tonnes (49.9%) from Russia making Russia again the largest supplier, followed by the US (17.2%) and Australia (13.4%).

German hard coal production ended in 2018, following the termination of subsidies. This paper looks at 60 years of continuous decline of an industry that employed more than 600,000 people, through a case study comparing Germany's two largest hard coal mining areas (Ruhr area and Saarland).

 — The Ruhr region in western Germany is one of Europe's most densely populated regions and largest industrial centers. In the 19th century, it developed an economy centered on coal mining, coal power generation and coal-reliant heavy industries, most notably steel.

 — Germany continues to import hard coal from other countries for a substantial portion of its energy production—another habit it's trying to kick, in line with its 2050 renewable energy target.

 — Coal's dominance in Germany, however, has not ended with the end of hard coal production. Large capacities of coal-fired power plants and lignite mining remain, and Germany's government is still far behind in implementing the recommendations from its 'coal commission'.

 — The transition of the Ruhr region in Germany from a hard coal belt into a knowledge-based economy with a dynamic service sector and state of the art universities over the past 60–80 years has been widely touted as a successful example of how just and fair low carbon energy transitions can unfold. Methods.

 — Second, we analyze how to exnovate coal in two regions closely tied to the coal- and lignite-based energy history in Germany: Lusatia and the Rhenish Mining District. Based on interview series in both regions, we connect insights from local communities with strategies for structural change and participation programs in the regions.

A lignite phase-out has greater effect on mining regions and workers than a hard coal phase-out. Germany's last hard coal mine closed in 2018. It also settles compensation claims by coal plant operators and paves the way for economic support programmes in coal regions worth 40 billion euros.

As of December 2018, Germany doesn't have any domestic hard coal mining left. Instead, coal is imported from Russia (50%), the United States (17%), Australia (13%) and Colombia (6%), followed by Poland, Canada and South Africa (2021 data).