Industrial electricity price: steel industry calls for rapid agreement
Saxony's Economics Minister Martin Dulig and representatives of the steel industry have called for a swift agreement on a reduced industrial electricity price. "Our energy-intensive industry, especially the steel industry, is facing enormous and in some cases existential challenges," said the SPD politician at Saxony's third steel summit on Monday. To this end, the German Steel Federation, companies such as Feralpi Stahl and BGH Edelstahlwerke Freital, IG Metall and Environment Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) came together in Dresden. In a joint position paper, they called for the immediate introduction of a so-called bridge electricity price by the federal government in order to relieve the burden on electricity-intensive industry and maintain international competitiveness.
The rapid and unbureaucratic expansion of renewable energies and the development of hydrogen grids are also necessary for a transformation, according to the position paper. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) also wants a state-subsidized lower industrial electricity price to prevent companies from moving away. This has been criticized by the coalition partner FDP, among others.
Uwe Reinecke, Director of Feralpi Stahl in Riesa, referred to around 220 million euros invested in climate-friendly technologies. "We want to produce green steel in Riesa - a city with a long steel history - in the future and secure industrial jobs." According to Reinecke, this would require unbureaucratic and pragmatic funding. The German Steel Federation warned that local electric steelworks are being left behind in international comparison. "The high electricity prices are hitting our electric steelworks with full force," said Managing Director Kerstin Maria Rippel.
Saxony can look back on a long tradition of mining and metallurgy. Its industrial landscape is still characterized by electric steelworks, forges and foundries. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, metal production and processing is one of the three largest industrial sectors in the state, accounting for 13.8 percent of industrial turnover.
The company and other energy-intensive industries, such as the steel industry, urgently need a swift implementation of a reduced industrial electricity price to stay competitive on a global scale, as suggested in the joint position paper. Implementing this bridge electricity price, alongside the rapid and unbureaucratic expansion of renewable energies and development of hydrogen grids, would significantly aid in Germany's transformation towards a greener economy.
Source: www.dpa.com
