Halle – November 07, 2026 -- Saxony-Anhalt needs about €160.3 million through 2037 to secure, make safe and decommission the former Teutschenthal salt mine, which now serves as an underground waste repository, according to a letter from the state's economy and finance ministries to the parliamentary finance committee, as reported by the Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.
Insolvency and failed investor search force the state to step in
The cost increase follows the insolvency of the operator, GTS Grube Teutschenthal Sicherungs GmbH. An investor search failed, so the state must take over responsibility for the mine through a substitute performance order (Ersatzvornahme). The state-owned Mitteldeutsche Sanierungs- und Entsorgungsgesellschaft (MDSE) is expected to become the new operator.
Millions of tonnes of incinerator filter dust are stored in the cavities
The ministries warned of considerable risks if the mine were shut down in an unplanned way. The cavities hold millions of tonnes of industrial waste, mainly filter dust from waste incineration plants.
A failure of the ventilation system could produce toxic or explosive gases. Water could also enter the mine and release pollutants.
For these reasons, remediation and final sealing of the facility are to continue over several years.