Basic chemicals at the Piesteritz site: ammonia, urea, nitric acid, nitrogen fertilizers and industrial chemicals.
SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH
Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) · Cunnersdorf near Leipzig · LeunaNew on Amplifa
About SKW Piesteritz
SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH is a manufacturer of basic chemical products headquartered in Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz), producing over five million tonnes of products annually. The portfolio covers agrochemistry (nitrogen fertilizers, stabilized and sulfur-containing products, liquid fertilizers, solutions for livestock farming) as well as industrial chemicals such as ammonia, urea, nitric acid, AdBlue®, nitrogen oxide compounds, melamine and resins and polymers. Production takes place in continuously operated process plants, including the ammonia complex (since 1974), three urea plants, a nitric acid plant and prill towers for urea granulation. Since 2023, alpha products based on biomethane have been produced with a CO2 footprint reduced by up to 90 %. With around 980 employees at the Piesteritz, Cunnersdorf and Leuna sites, the company maintains its own research and development department including Agricultural Application Research. The site in the Agro-Chemie Park Piesteritz is connected by road, rail and its own Elbe port and supplies customers in Europe and worldwide.
- Site
- Lutherstadt Wittenberg
- Processes
- Ammonia production (ammonia complex), Urea production (urea plants 1-3), Nitric acid production, Liquid fertilizer production (PIASAN® 28, PIASAN®-S 25/6, PIASAN®-G 20/8, ALZON® flüssig-S 25/6)., Nitrogen fertilizer production (stabilized, with sulfur, traditional), AdBlue® production (denitrification agent for combustion exhaust gases), Feed urea and barn hygiene products (PIARUMIN®, ATMOWELL®), Production of nitrogen oxide compounds for the aviation industry
- Materials
- Ammonia, Urea, Nitric acid, Ammonia water, Nitrogen oxide compounds, AdBlue®, Melamine, Resins and polymers
- Certificates
- EMAS, EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme), Responsible Care, ISO 9001
- Founded
- 1993
- Employees
- approx. 980
- Industries
- Agriculture (fertilizers), Industrial chemicals, Aviation industry (nitrogen oxide compounds), Livestock farming
- 01
Raw material supply (including natural gas, biomethane for alpha products)
- 02
Ammonia production (ammonia complex)
- 03
Urea production (urea plants 1–3, prill towers)
- 04
Nitric acid production
- 05
Further processing into fertilizers, AdBlue® and industrial chemicals
- 06
Storage (ammonia cryogenic storage tanks, AdBlue tank 20.000 m³)
- 07
Logistics and loading (road, rail, own Elbe port)
Products and Processes
Ammonia
Starting material for fertilizer production as well as an industrial chemical and refrigerant for downstream processing industries.
Urea
Fertilizer and precursor for downstream processing industries, among other things the basis for AdBlue®.
Nitric acid
Basic chemical for the production of liquid fertilizers and for downstream processing industries.
Liquid fertilizer (PIASAN®, ALZON® flüssig)
Urea-ammonium nitrate solutions for precise, edge-to-edge application in agriculture.
AdBlue®
Denitrification agent for combustion exhaust gases, among other things for commercial vehicles.
Nitrogen oxide compounds
Specialty chemicals for the aviation industry.
Melamine
Precursor for downstream processing industries.
Resins and polymers
Precursors for downstream processing industries.
alpha products (biomethane-based)
Agro- and industrial chemicals with a CO2 footprint reduced by up to 90 % based on certified biomethane.
ATMOWELL®
Urease inhibitor for use in livestock barns.
PIARUMIN®
Feed urea and industrial chemical for livestock farming.
Sites
Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz)
DEHeadquarters and production (Agro-Chemie Park Piesteritz)
- Lot size
- Continuous large-scale production (over 5 Mio. t of products/year at the site)
- Materials
- Ammonia, urea, nitric acid, liquid fertilizers, AdBlue®, nitrogen oxide compounds, melamine, resins and polymers
- Ammonia complex (1974)
- Urea plants 1–3 (1975/1976)
- Nitric acid plant with air compressor
- 2 prill towers (urea granulation)
- 3 ammonia cryogenic storage tanks
- Nitric acid storage tank (500 m³, 2019)
- AdBlue tank (20.000 m³)
- Cooling towers
- Biomass power plant (electricity and steam generation)
- 30 tank wagons for ammonia (2021)
- Electric shunting locomotive
- Own Elbe port
Cunnersdorf near Leipzig
DEAgricultural Application Research (since 1966, 60 years in 2026)
- Materials
- Test areas for fertilizer research
- Test fields and field day area
Leuna
DEOperating facility (taken over from AGROFERT Deutschland in 2024)
Products
Inside the production
Industries
Processes & technical limits
| Processes | Tolerance | Max. part | Weight | Lot size | Materials |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonia production (ammonia complex)Casting | – | – | – | – | Ammonia |
| Urea production (urea plants 1-3)Casting | – | – | – | – | Urea |
| Nitric acid productionCasting | – | – | – | – | Nitric acid |
| Liquid fertilizer production (PIASAN® 28, PIASAN®-S 25/6, PIASAN®-G 20/8, ALZON® flüssig-S 25/6).Casting | – | – | – | – | Urea, Ammonium nitrate (AHL) |
| Nitrogen fertilizer production (stabilized, with sulfur, traditional)Casting | – | – | – | – | Nitrogen, Sulfur |
| AdBlue® production (denitrification agent for combustion exhaust gases)Casting | – | – | – | – | Urea |
| Feed urea and barn hygiene products (PIARUMIN®, ATMOWELL®)Casting | – | – | – | – | Urea, Urease inhibitor |
| Production of nitrogen oxide compounds for the aviation industryCasting | – | – | – | – | Nitrogen oxides |
| Production of resins and polymersPlastics | – | – | – | – | Resins, Polymers, Formaldehyde |
| Melamine productionPlastics | – | – | – | – | Melamine |
| alpha products: production of all agro- and industrial chemicals with up to 90 % reducedCasting | – | – | – | – | Ammonia, Urea, Fertilizers, AdBlue® |
13 Anlagen & Maschinen
| Machine | Manufacturer / model | Quantity | Working area | Year built | Site |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ammonia complex | – | – | – | 1974 | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Urea plant 1 | – | 1 | – | 1975 | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Urea plants 2 and 3 | – | 2 | – | 1976 | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Nitric acid plant | – | – | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Prill tower (urea granulation) | – | 2 | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Ammonia cryogenic storage tank | – | 3 | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Nitric acid storage tank (500 cubic meters) | – | 1 | 500 cubic meters | 2019 | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| AdBlue tank (20.000 cubic meters) | – | 1 | 20.000 cubic meters | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Air compressor (nitric acid plant) | – | 1 | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Cooling towers | – | – | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Tank wagons for ammonia (fleet) | – | 30 | – | 2021 | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Shunting locomotive (electric) | – | 1 | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
| Biomass power plant (electricity and steam generation) | Stadtwerke Leipzig | 1 | – | – | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
Additional services
Reference customers
Quality and Safety
SKW Piesteritz is part of the global “Responsible Care” initiative and maintains a safety concept based on the guiding principle “safety before production”. The company has been EMAS-audited for 20 years (honored in 2018) and operates plants under the Major Accidents Ordinance; materials testing is carried out, among others, by TÜV Nord MPA within the site network.
| Evidence | Lutherstadt Wittenberg (Piesteritz) |
|---|---|
| EMAS (Eco Management and Audit Scheme) | |
| Responsible Care | |
| ISO 9001 |
History
- 1915
Construction of the nitrogen works – beginning of the tradition of the Piesteritz chemical site.
- 1974
Commissioning of the ammonia complex.
- 1975
Commissioning of urea plant 1 (plants 2 and 3 follow in February 1976).
- 1993
Foundation of SKW Stickstoffwerke Piesteritz GmbH in its current legal form.
- 2015
Start of comprehensive modernization of the ammonia plants (until 2017); investments of over 90 Mio. euros.
- 2018
Environmental Award (special award from the Umweltallianz) for ALZON® neo-N and PIAGRAN® pro; honor for 20 years of EMAS.
- 2020
Petr Cingr takes over the chairmanship of the management board; opening of the Agro-Chemie Park infopoint.
- 2021
Production of the 50-millionth tonne of urea; start of construction for doubling ammonia storage capacity (third cryogenic storage tank).
- 2023
First fertilizers with a reduced CO2 footprint (alpha products) based on biomethane.
- 2024
50 years of ammonia production; takeover of the Leuna facility; market launch of ATMOWELL®.
- 2025
50 years of urea production; completion of the third ammonia cryogenic storage tank.
- 2026
Foundation of the sub-holding AGF Nitrogen, a.s. as sole shareholder; Carsten Franzke takes over the chairmanship of the management board; 60 years of Agricultural Application Research Cunnersdorf; external offering of services from January 1, 2026.