K+S to Terminate Potash Production at the Sigmundshall Site at the end of 2018

The Supervisory Board and the Board of Executive Directors of K+S Aktiengesellschaft, Kassel, have decided to terminate potash production at the Sigmundshall site (Wunstorf-Bokeloh, Hanover Region) at the end of 2018. Reserves that can be commercially mined are coming to an end.
Mining conditions for extracting the raw materials at a depth of more than 1,400 meters are reaching human and technological limits. In talks with workforce representatives and the trade union, new prospects and solutions are being discussed for the approximately 730 employees of the site.
Dr. Burkhard Lohr, chairman of the K+S Board of Executive Directors, said:

“The decision to close the plant is not an easy one for us when we consider the workforce, which has done everything to make its site successful. But all those involved have known for a long time that the crude salt reserves of the Bokeloh salt deposit are dwindling.
Mining conditions are becoming more and more demanding. It is also true that over the past three years increased mining expenses have resulted in a steady decline in the site’s productivity.”

Click here to read the full text release.