Company
Whether they are used for crude oil, petrol or hydrogen, the cavern storage facilities in the salt dome are safe and efficient storage facilities and the key to a stable energy supply. With our state-of-the-art caverns, we offer customised solutions for various energy sources.
Find out more about our company, our locations and our commitment to safety and the environment. We take care of your energy!
About us
Strategic oil stockpiling in northern Germany
We have been an independent company in the German cavern industry since the 1970s and look back on many years of experience and expertise in mining and the oil and gas sector. At the Nordenham-Blexen site, we operate a salt cavern storage facility with 8 caverns (5 crude oil and 3 petrol caverns) for storing crude oil products with a volume of approx. 2.2
million cubic metres.
Our business model is the storage of national reserves. We currently store around 10% of Germany’s entire national reserve on behalf of the National Petroleum Stockpiling Agency (EBV). As Germany’s fourth-largest storage facility, this makes us an important pillar of the German oil reserve strategy.
As a former Wintershall Dea subsidiary, we were sold to Strategic Storage GmbH on 1st January 2019. Since then, we have been operating as an independent company with our administrative head quarters in the Mühlen district of Steinfeld.
Safety and the environment
Our safety philosophy
Our top priority is to protect people and the environment. Every employee has the right to return home safely after work!
Our caverns
The ideal long-term storage facility for oil and mineral products is the cavern in a salt dome. The stored products do not cause the salt of the cavern walls to dissolve. This means that the cavern wall is not damaged and the products are not altered.
Petroleum products are well protected inside the soil. In contrast to large above-ground tank farms, only a small area is sealed for underground storage. This means that the agricultural land can be almost fully utilised.
Continuous monitoring to protect the environment
The caverns end above ground at the cavern heads. To protect the environment, these are equipped with state-of-the-art barrier technology and are continuously monitored by our contemporary control system. An additional enclosure protects the technology from environmental and external influences.
In addition to monitoring the cavern heads, all the technology and pipelines are monitored by the control system with the help of contemporary sensor technology.
All liquids – including rainwater – run into special separators. In addition, sensors signal if impurities are found in the separator. This prevents potential pollution.
Monitoring – 24/7 security concept
In addition to automated monitoring by the control system and video technology, the facility is regularly inspected by our staff. Measures for all conceivable emergencies are considered in detailed hazard prevention plans and regularly coordinated with the supervisory authorities. Joint drills with the fire brigade and the German Federal Agency for Technical Relief (THW) as well as regular training for all employees top off our safety concept.
Cavern storage
Blexen – Nordenham
Our cavern storage facility has been located in the Blexen district of Nordenham in Lower Saxony since the 1970s.
If products from our storage are needed on the market, we guarantee that they can be extracted at any time via our independent pipeline connection to the jetty on the Weser.
The safe operation of our plant includes monitoring the caverns with the help of a contemporary control system and qualified staff.
- Total capacity: 2.2 million cubic metres of usable cavern volume
- Nautical conditions: the terminal has a total length of 600 metres (incl. dolphins) for ships of up to 230 metres in length with a maximum draught of 12.10 metres (FW).
- State of the art: in recent years, a mid-range double-digit million amount has been invested at the Blexen site. The investments included the complete modernisation of the underground and above-ground technology. These measures have made the storage facility one of the most modern and secure cavern storage facilities in Germany. We will continue to invest in the entire facility in the future to ensure that it remains state-of-the-art.
Office
Mühlen
Since 2019, our office has been located in the historic watermill of the Meyerhof farm in 49439 Steinfeld-Mühlen.
Interesting facts about the watermill
The watermill on the Meyerhof farm was first documented in 1556. However, the mill is probably much older and could well date back to Frankish times. In 1995 the current owner of the Meyerhof farm carried out extensive renovations to the mill and the mill adjacent ponds.
Do you know
Our team
Behind our cavern storage facilities is a dedicated team of experienced specialists. With well-founded expertise and passion, we ensure that energy is safely stored and available at all times. Get to know the people who work every day to operate our storage facilities efficiently and reliably.
Our team in Mühlen
Niels Rehbock
Business Development Manager
Mobile: +49 (0)159 0177 3195
Email: niels.rehbock@usg-blexen.de
Henriette Heckmann
Business Support Officer
Telephone: +49 (0)5492 970 304
Email: henriette.heckmann@usg-blexen.de
Our team in Blexen
Bastian Griasskin
Operations Manager, authorised signatory
Telephone: +49 (0)5492 970 303
Email: bastian.griasskin@usg-blexen.de
Timo Sperling
Cavern Operations Manager
Telephone: +49 (0)4731 930 032
Email: timo.sperling@usg-blexen.de