Wacker Chemie AG
Stetten, Germany
Salt from the Stetten salt mine: vital for production and ensuring that roads remain snow- and ice-free
The Stetten salt mine is one of the oldest and yet most modern salt mines in Germany. It was built near Haigerloch, Germany, at the suggestion of Prussia’s King Frederick William IV. Mining of rock salt began as early as 1854, initially focusing on table and animal-feed salt. WACKER began leasing the mine to meet its increasing demand for rock salt used in chlorine production before finally purchasing the mine in 1960.
Today, the Stetten salt mine produces industrial and road salt. A large portion of the rock salt is shipped to the Burghausen plant to be used in chlorine electrolysis – an essential processing aid for the production of silicones, hyperpure silicon, organic intermediates and pyrogenic silica.
But salt from Stetten is also in demand among motorists and pedestrians alike. During snowy winters, the amount of de-icing salt shipped every day to clear roads of snow and ice rises considerably.
Site-Specific Facts & Figures
- Location: 80 km south of Stuttgart, between the A81 and B27
- Size: 12 km² site grounds, mining rights for 40 km²
- Employees: approx. 70
- Products: industrial salt, de-icing salt, brine
- Storage of backfill material
