Heilbronn Salt Mine

Fire protection for the new workshop in the southwest field

Südwestdeutsche Salzwerke AG (SWS) has been operating a rock salt mine in Heilbronn since 1885. The interconnected mine comprises the two mines Heilbronn in the south and Kochendorf in the north, which are now connected to each other by a through-cut.

As part of the "SuedLink" project to transport electricity from northern to southern Germany, the extra-high voltage cables in the Heilbronn area are to be laid through the mine. In this context, an additional workshop is to be built in the southwest field alongside the main underground workshop already in operation. This is necessary, among other things, because the distances between the individual operating points will increase as mining progresses and the mine expands. To ensure that the equipment used for mining work can be maintained, repaired and cleaned and that the necessary spare parts, consumables and operating materials can be stored, an additional workshop and adjoining storage area are to be built and operated near the active operating point in the southwest of the mine. This should shorten the distances required for the individual operating resources to the nearest workshop and also relieve the existing main workshop.

As a prerequisite for commissioning, the responsible supervisory authority, the Baden-Württemberg State Office for Geology, Raw Materials and Mining at the Freiburg Regional Council, stipulated that an expert assessment of the safety equipment from a fire protection point of view be carried out and that any defects identified be completely rectified. SWS has commissioned STUVAtec to do this.