Energy consumption - Food and animal feed industry with a huge appetite for energy
In Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, the food and feed industry had the largest energy hunger. Nearly 39 percent of the energy consumption of all industrial businesses in the state were attributable to this branch, as the Statistical Office in Schwerin reported.
According to statistics, natural gas, despite a slight decrease in consumption, was the most important energy carrier for the industry in the northeast in 2022. Thirty-four percent of their energy needs came from natural gas, while electricity accounted for 27 percent. Furthermore, 21 percent came directly from renewable energy sources such as biogas, geothermal energy, or solar thermal energy.
The use of coal reached a record high of 3.5 percent. Heating oil also came back into use again. The main reason for this could be the halted deliveries of Russian natural gas due to the Ukrainian conflict in the middle of 2022.
The industrial businesses in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern consumed approximately 233,000 Terajoules of energy in total in 2022, about one percent less than in 2021. Nationwide, industrial energy consumption even decreased by 9.1 percent. Many companies had drastically reduced their production due to the rapid price increases, particularly in the chemical industry and glass manufacturing. Both play only a minor role in the industrially rather underdeveloped MV.
The food and feed industry in Schwerin, being the sector with the largest energy hunger in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, consumed a significant portion of its energy from natural gas, making it the most important energy carrier for the industry in the region. Despite a slight decrease in usage, natural gas still accounted for nearly one-third of their energy needs in 2022.
The energy consumption statistics for the industry in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern also show that renewable energy sources, such as biogas, geothermal energy, and solar thermal energy, contributed significantly to their energy needs, accounting for approximately 21 percent of their total consumption in 2022.
Despite the reduced energy consumption in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern's industrial sector as a whole, some industries, like the food and feed industry, continued to have a significant energy appetite. The trend of increasing energy consumption from renewable sources and the return of heating oil use due to the halted Russian gas deliveries highlights the importance of diversifying energy sources for the industry in Schwerin and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.
