The chemical park in Leuna has become a test case for Europe’s industrial resilience
Photographer: Iona Dutz/BloombergIran War Is the Latest Blow for Europe’s Battered Industrial Backbone
A Cold War chemical park in Germany shows how vulnerable Europe is in an era of energy insecurity.
In the east German industrial town of Leuna, Christof Günther had been looking forward to a quiet Christmas with his family when the risk of a disaster at the local chemical park he helms disrupted any sense of seasonal calm.
A site run by Domo Chemicals, which makes compounds that end up in fuel tanks, swimsuits and food packaging, unexpectedly filed for insolvency after running short on the cash needed to operate equipment to convert benzene into nylon. In the midst of the winter cold, an uncontrolled shutdown risked leaking toxic substances, threatening nearby operators as well as the 14,000 residents living in Leuna’s cluster of red-tiled houses.