We have a long history of salt production, dating back more than 100 years to 1918. It has always been important to us to produce salt in a sustainable, safe and efficient way, with respect for the environment. Nobian works continuously to improve the safety and sustainability of our salt mining operations and our knowledge of the subsurface. This is a never-ending process.
Salt mining enables Nobian to produce around six million tons of high-purity salt at Mariager in Denmark and at our Dutch plants in Delfzijl and Hengelo, the two largest vacuum salt plants in the world. The production of this high purity salt ensures that the Netherlands and Western Europe always have access to this indispensable raw material for both our industry and society, thus supporting independent value chains and economic autonomy in Europe.
In the Netherlands and Denmark, Nobian extracts salt from deep underground salt layers. These layers are easily accessible in a limited number of places, allowing for safe, responsible and sustainable salt mining.
Nobian uses solution mining to extract salt from the underground salt layers. By injecting water into these layers through drilled wells, the salt is being dissolved. The saturated salt water (brine) is being pumped back up to the surface and transported to the nearest salt plant for further processing into different products.
To ensure the safety and sustainability of our mining operations, Nobian considers all phases of a salt cavern, from development and construction to production and closure after extraction. To continuously monitor the condition and safety of our caverns, Nobian takes a systems approach with a number of rigorous risk and management measures, for example through the use of measurement networks that continuously gather information on seismic activity and the condition of our caverns.
Salt mining in the Netherlands and Denmark takes place largely outside the perimeter of the production sites. We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the communities around these sites, proactively engaging with municipalities, residents and local interest groups to encourage open discussion about our activities. We value direct contact, for example through community meetings. We take great care to make our mining operations more sustainable and more transparent. This is a never-ending process, as new insights are frequently applied and discussed with the relevant stakeholders.