Wintershall AGAktiengesellschaft is a German term that refers to a corporation that is limited by shares, i.e. owned by shareholders, and may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria and Switzerland...
is the largest crude oil and
natural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
producer in Germany. The company is based in
KasselKassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
,
GermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. Wintershall is a wholly owned subsidiary of
BASFBASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
, based in Ludwigshafen. The name Wintershall is derived from the surname of the enterprise co-founder Carl Julius Winter and the Celtic word for salt (hall) together.
The company made a profit of 2.4 billion euro in 2005. In 2005, the company had 1,700 employees worldwide. The Chairman of the board of Executive Directors is Dr. Rainer Seele.
History
The drilling company Wintershall was established in 1894 by the industrialist Heinrich Grimberg and the drilling contractor Carl Julius Winters. Originally the company worked on the mining of
potashPotash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
. In 1930, the accidental leaking of oil into one of the potash pits added oil production to the list of company activities. Because of increased oil demand, Wintershall concentrated on oil production.
Directly after World War II, the US Senate held some hearings on July 2, 1945, concerning the German economy and fiscal operations during the conflict. Under "Chemicals and Munitions", the testimony said: "Wintershall AG: Address: Kassel; Capital: RM 150,000,000; Business: The largest German potash concern and the largest factor in the German Potash Syndicate (Deutsche Kalisyndikat), after I.G. Farben, the largest German chemical concern. The owners of Wintershall are the August Rosterg family,
Gunther QuandtGünther Quandt was a German industrialist and Nazi who founded an industrial empire that today includes BMW and Altana .Eight of the hundred currently richest Germans are among his descendants.- Early life :...
, and others, who hold their interest through the holding company, Gewerke Wintershall, the principal stockholder in Wintershall AG. Interest: The
Dresdner BankDresdner Bank AG was one of Germany's largest banking corporations and was based in Frankfurt. It was acquired by competitor Commerzbank in December 2009.- 19th century :...
is connected with Wintershall through interlocking directors in the persons of
Karl RascheKarl Emil August Rasche was an SS-Obersturmbannführer and a Ph.D. in law as well as a Board member and banker, later spokesman, of the Dresdner Bank during the Third Reich...
and
Heinrich Schmidt-People:*Heinrich Julian Schmidt , German journalist*Heinrich Schmidt , member of the Nazi Party*Heinrich Schmidt , member of the Nazi Party...
. The latter is the head of the Wintershall board of directors."
At the end of World War II, the libraries of the German Army's
Military Geology UnitThe Military Geology Unit was a unit in the United States military during World War II. It was established on June 24, 1942, six months after Pearl Harbor...
(Wehrgeologenstellen) and the German Patent Office (Reichspatentamt) were removed from Berlin and secretly stored in the deep Wintershall
potashPotash is the common name for various mined and manufactured salts that contain potassium in water-soluble form. In some rare cases, potash can be formed with traces of organic materials such as plant remains, and this was the major historical source for it before the industrial era...
mine in
HeringenHeringen is a small town in Hersfeld-Rotenburg district in eastern Hesse, Germany lying right at the boundary with Thuringia.- Geography :- Location :...
. There they were discovered by the US
Third ArmyA number of nations have had a Third Army* Third Army * Third Army * 3rd Army * Third Army * Third Army * 3rd Army * Third Army * United States Army Central...
in March 1945, and removed to the US. The German Patent Library was later restored to Germany, but the military geology materials of maps, reports and books, often stolen from other countries during the invasions, were retained by the US as Nazi
materielMateriel is a term used in English to refer to the equipment and supplies in military and commercial supply chain management....
. Most of these maps and books remain in the US Geological Survey Library today, with an obscure
United States Army Corps of EngineersThe United States Army Corps of Engineers is a federal agency and a major Army command made up of some 38,000 civilian and military personnel, making it the world's largest public engineering, design and construction management agency...
stamp on each that reads "Heringen Collection".
During the 1950s Wintershall started natural gas production. In 1969 Wintershall AG became a subsidiary of BASF. The potash mining was sold to Kali & Salz AG. During the 1990s natural gas production by Wintershall AG expanded. In the autumn of 1990 Wintershall started cooperation with the Russian gas company,
GazpromOpen Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
, and concluded a long-term agreement on the
marketingMarketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
of Russian natural gas in Germany. In 1993,
WINGAS GmbHWingas GmbH is a gas distribution, transport and storage company located in Kassel, Germany. The company was established in 1993 by Wintershall Holding AG, a subsidiary of BASF, and Gazprom...
, the joint venture of Wintershall (50% plus one share) and
GazpromOpen Joint Stock Company Gazprom is the largest extractor of natural gas in the world and the largest Russian company. Its headquarters are in Cheryomushki District, South-Western Administrative Okrug, Moscow...
(50% minus one share) was established. In 2005, Wintershall, Gazprom and
E.ON RuhrgasE.ON AG, marketed with an interpunct as E•ON, is the holding company of the world's largest investor-owned energy service provider based in Düsseldorf, Germany. The name comes from the Greek word aeon which means eternity....
agreed to build the Nord Stream natural gas pipeline from
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
to Germany. In 2006, Wintershall got a stake in
Yuzhno-Russkoye gas fieldThe Yuzhno-Russkoye field is a Russian oil and gas field located in the Krasnoselkupsky District, Yamal-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Tyumen Oblast.-History:...
.
Fields of activity
The activities of Wintershall cover two ranges: exploration and
productionThe extraction of petroleum is the process by which usable petroleum is extracted and removed from the earth.-Locating the oil field:Geologists use seismic surveys to search for geological structures that may form oil reservoirs...
of
oilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
and
natural gasNatural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
, and the natural gas trade, which includes also transport and storage.
In exploration and production the emphasis of the activities lies in
Western EuropeWestern Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
,
North AfricaNorth Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
,
South AmericaSouth America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and
RussiaRussia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
.