Operation, maintenance and repair of the shafts and winding machines at Joseph-Else mine
MDPA
RSA" joint venture with SOGEA and Actemium
Wittelsheim, France
Start 2021
until approx. 2028
Mines de Potasse d'Alsace (MDPA) coordinates and monitors work at the StocaMine underground repository and the associated surface facilities.
Since July 1, 2021, REDPATH DEILMANN has been primarily responsible for the operation of the Joseph and Else shafts, including the conveyor systems. These are located at the southern end of an extensive former potash mine in Wittelsheim in Alsace (France). Regular rope access and maintenance work is carried out - as far as possible - during normal operating hours, i.e. on weekdays in a 3-shift system. In addition to Redpath Deilmann, other MDPA subcontractors are used for the regular underground and surface maintenance and backfilling work.
The conical double drum dates back to a time when drive technology was not yet automated. The drum reduces continuously from 6.0 m to 3.8 m in order to mechanically increase the torque when the rope length in the shaft increases. This ensures an even load distribution.
Current status and outlook
In the former potash composite mine, of which only the Joseph and Else shafts are still in operation today, non-radioactive waste was deposited due to the favorable geological situation following a decision by the French government. Storage under the name "StocaMine" was stopped after an underground fire in 2002 and the final closure of the mine was prepared and started by backfilling the depots and shafts. According to current plans, operations will cease completely by 2028.
Review of the discovery of the deposit and development of the mining operation
The history of the potash industry in Wittelsheim begins in 1904 with the discovery of potash near Mulhouse. A pair of prospectors, whose children were named Else and Joseph, were searching for oil in the Rhine Graben when they found white gold instead - salt - and with it the rich potash deposits in the Wittelsheim basin.
Additional tasks
shaft Jospeh
shaft Else
