The village of Keyenberg had been in the process of being resettled since 2016 and was to make way for the Garzweiler opencast mine. The church was sold to the opencast mine operator RWE Power in 2019.
Since the clearing of the Hambach Forest, which is threatened by lignite mining, was stopped in October 2018, village and forest walks with several hundred participants have also taken place in Keyenberg. A protest march by Fridays for Future on June 22, 2019 around the Garzweiler opencast mine took place on the outskirts of Keyenberg with an estimated 8,000 participants.
The political decision on whether to continue the Garzweiler opencast mine was suspended in March 2021 until the end of 2026. Around 85% of the population had left Keyenberg by then. Due to the agreement between the state government and RWE in October 2022 to stop mining lignite in the Garzweiler opencast mine from 2030, Keyenberg will not be demolished. Like the other villages saved by this agreement, Keyenberg is to be revitalized; Resettlers can buy houses back from RWE.