Germany Tackles Massive Cleanup of World's Former Largest Underground Fuel Depot

Germany is embarking on an extensive environmental remediation project at the former Bremen-Farge tank storage facility, a site that once held the distinction of being the world's largest underground fuel depot. Decades of operation have left the soil and groundwater heavily contaminated, necessitating a complex and costly cleanup.

The core of the remediation involves excavating and cleaning an estimated 185,000 cubic meters of soil. The contamination is particularly severe around a former rail loading station, where pollutants have penetrated up to 30 meters deep and are migrating with groundwater towards the Unterweser river. Since February, contaminated soil has been removed from this area.

"By exchanging the soil, we are eliminating the core problem – the actual source of the contamination," explained expert Stefan Ivert. Highly contaminated material is being processed at a specialized facility in the Bremen industrial port. In parallel, nine wells are being used to protect the groundwater by pumping and treating contaminated water. An existing facility, operational since 2010, continues to remove fuel phases from the groundwater, having already extracted approximately 130 tons.

The Bremen-Farge tank storage facility was constructed between 1935 and 1943, serving various military purposes for storing and transferring fuels. The site housed 78 tanks with a total capacity exceeding 300,000 cubic meters. Although the facility was decommissioned in 2016, with plans for complete dismantling this year, the environmental legacy requires significant intervention. The current cleanup operation is projected to last two years and is estimated to cost around 17.5 million euros.

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By exchanging the soil, we are eliminating the core problem – the actual source of the contamination.