Production of potash fertilizers at K+S Group’s Unterbreizbach site at the Werra plant has temporarily resumed today. The company said production is expected to be maintained until July 14. “Production at the Werra site is still determined by the very limited disposal possibilities as well as the available basin capacities. A temporary resumption of production is now possible because the amount of temporarily stored saline wastewater in the basins can be reduced for the time being,” said K+S in a statement.
Operations were interrupted at the Unterbreizbach site on June 13 because the production wastewater could no longer be disposed of, or temporarily stored. Approximately 350 employees in production and mining have been working short time since then.
At the neighbouring Hattorf site, where operations were suspended on June 15, production is still at a standstill with the exception of Epsom salt production. About 650 employees are working short time here.
K+S said there have been up to 60 days of short-time working since the beginning of the year at the Hattorf and Unterbreizbach sites due to production shutdowns as a result of insufficient disposal possibilities for saline wastewater. Only the Wintershall site has not been affected by production shutdowns and short-time working so far. Its saline wastewater is being temporarily stored in basins, if it cannot be disposed of by discharge into the Werra River or by making use of the low injection quota. Wintershall is particularly geared towards the production of fertilizer specialties and it is also K+S’ sole facility where pharmaceutical salt is produced.