KBB Underground Technologies GmbH is a specialist in the construction and operation of underground energy storage and brine/salt extraction. KBB UT plans, builds and operates underground storage facilities in various geological structures such as salt formations, aquifer structures and depleted reservoirs. Products stored include natural gas, crude oil, gas, oil products, compressed air and hydrogen.
As an engineering company, KBB UT takes care of all aspects of storage facility operations: Preliminary studies, planning, supervising cavern well drilling, completion and finally the installation and filling of the caverns and their operation. Together with DEEP. Underground Engineering GmbH, KBB UT installs all above-ground facilities, transmission lines and everything else needed for storage and brine extraction projects.
The successor of Kavernen Bau- und Betriebs-GmbH, KBB Underground Technologies GmbH has inherited the know-how of the engineering company that has been leading the underground storage and brine production sector for the past 30 years. KBB has built the largest strategic crude oil storage facilities in Germany and the US, some of the largest salt cavern storage facilities for seasonal natural gas storage, as well as the world’s first compressed air storage facility in Neuenhuntorf in Northern Germany.
Since November 2004, KBB UT has been continuing the underground activities of KBB, inheriting the experience gained from more than 170 reference projects of KBB and the projects of KBB’s temporary subsidiaries in the US and Germany.
Milestones
| 1971 | Kavernen Bau- und Betriebs-GmbH founded The government-owned Preussag AG and Salzgitter AG groups founded Kavernen Bau- und Betriebs-GmbH in order to build the federal crude oil reserve in Etzel near Wilhelmshaven. The then government-owned industry management company IVG asked KBB to handle planning and execution. In this first project, a total of 33 caverns with a total storage volume of 13 million cubic metres were built. |
| 1977 | Large order in the U.S.: Planning and building the US federal crude oil reserve The total volume of the four large storage facilities in Texas and Louisiana at the Gulf of Mexico was approx. 72 million m3. KBB implemented the project from 1977 through 1985. |
| 1978 | Commissioning the Neuenhuntorf In the late 1970s, KBB designed and built the two compressed-air storage caverns for the Neuenhuntorf power plant operated by Nord-West Kavernengesellschaft mbH (today, E.ON Kraftwerke AG). The world’s first power station of its kind, Neuenhuntorf handles peak loads using a gas turbine. |
| 1989 | Brine production in Pimai/Thailand In Thailand, KBB implemented a highly successful brine production project which it still supports today. |
| 1990 | Preussag acquires Salzgitter group, KBB remains with Preussag KBB took over the personnel and expertise of the former Preussag petroleum and natural gas. This means that KBB was also active in gas facility construction, i.e. the above-ground part of cavern storage facilities. KBB also had activities in reservoir engineering and pore storage construction. |
| 1995 | DEEP. Underground Engineering GmbH is founded Four former KBB employees founded DEEP. DEEP. Underground Engineering GmbH, located in Bad Zwischenahn. |
| 2000 | The U.S. company Schlumberger acquires KBB from Preussag AG. |
| 2004 | DEEP. Underground Engineering takes over KBB core competencies The underground storage division became a separate company called KBB Underground Technologies GmbH. |
| 2014 | KBB UT turns 10. |