Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Herfa-Neurode underground disposal site

Hazardous waste has been stored in a section of the Wintershall potash mine in the Werra district of East Hesse in Germany since 4th September 1972. The Herfa-Neurode underground disposal site, which today belongs to the K+S Werra integrated network, is the first and largest underground disposal site of its kind worldwide. Global underground disposal sites are governed by exacting standards and safety requirements, which are continuously evolving.

On Friday 28th October, around a hundred guests accepted the invitation of the hosts, REKS GmbH & Co. KG and the K+S Group, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Herfa-Neurode underground disposal site in the Friedewald Festival Hall with a conference and subsequent get-together.

Following a champagne reception with musical accompaniment by the K+S Wintershall Miners’ Band, the audience, including customers, representatives of interested associations, politicians and employees, gained an insight into the history of underground disposal, the current market situation, and a look into the future of hazardous waste disposal.

Julian Kempka, Acting Mayor of the town of Friedewald, opened the event and welcomed the visitors. Daniel Iliev, Mayor of Heringen, where the underground disposal site is located, stressed the good and transparent cooperation between the town and the company. This is indispensable, particularly with the sensitive but also crucial disposal of hazardous waste: “I am glad that we are working together to ensure that the residual products of our affluent society are kept safe”, stated Iliev.

Martin Ebeling, Manager of the K+S Plant in Werra, also praised the high levels of safety: “We ensure that safety prevails and that quality requirements are met with a great deal of effort and expertise. This is a prerequisite for the 50-year success story of the Herfa-Neurode underground disposal site and its necessary acceptance in our region.” REKS, as sales partner, K+S and the joint venture managed with REMEX, were therefore making an important contribution to the safety of waste disposal in Germany, stressed Dr. Martin Brown: “Hazardous waste is produced in society and industry. These materials are to be found in the world and need to be stored in a safe place.” This is precisely what Herfa-Neurode is able to do, thanks to its special geological conditions.

Apart from its geological conditions, Arnd Schneider, Manager of the Herfa-Neurode underground disposal site, explained to the guests that the waste was also intensively controlled by a water- and gas-tight salt deposit, a complex safety system with multiple artificial barriers. The plant’s long-term safety certificate is reviewed every four years, which considers up to 100,000 years into the future. Over 3.5 million tonnes of hazardous waste have been safely deposited since 4th September 1972. And the disposal site still provides enough space to enable storage to continue for several decades.

Other people celebrating the anniversary included Sandra Giern (Federal Association of the German Waste Management, Water and Circulation Industry), Thomas Kießling (ERCOSPLAN Ingenieurgesellschaft Geotechnik und Bergbau), Carsten Spohn (Association of Thermal Waste Treatment Plants in Germany), Andreas Ellerkmann (Indaver Germany), Torsten Zuber (REKS GmbH & Co. KG) and Dirk Röth (BAUREKA Baustoff-Recycling).