Thyssenkrupp steel boss calls for "transformation summit"
Following the Federal Constitutional Court's budget ruling, Thyssenkrupp Steel CEO Bernhard Osburg has called on Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz to convene a "transformation summit". The federal government, state, trade unions and companies should discuss what the next concrete steps are to ensure that the transformation does not come to a halt, said Osburg on Monday evening in Duisburg.
There should not only be a political debate on financing, but the federal government must now also decide the direction in which the transformation of industry in Germany should continue. "If this doesn't succeed, Germany will end up having to write off its climate targets." Thyssenkrupp Steel is Germany's largest steel producer.
The climate transformation fund is in principle no longer available following the court's decision, Osburg continued. "From our perspective, this means that we no longer have the money we urgently need to drive forward the industrial transformation here in Germany."
This means that, from the perspective of the steel industry, climate protection agreements, for example, are not secured. "This is a very big issue because it is actually the only funding instrument that we will need for further transformation steps here at the location." Funding for the development of the hydrogen core network is also at risk. The expansion of power plant capacities to stabilize the power supply through renewable energies is also affected.
Osburg emphasized that the funding promised by the federal and state governments for the construction of a large direct reduction plant amounting to almost two billion euros had been secured by means of a funding decision. The plant is intended to replace a blast furnace and later produce steel using climate-neutral hydrogen in order to save large amounts of carbon dioxide. However, the construction of the plant must go hand in hand with the development of the hydrogen transport infrastructure required for its operation.
The federal government needs to reconsider its economic policy to secure sufficient funding for the steel industry's transformation, considering that the climate transformation fund is no longer available due to the court's decision. Thyssenkrupp Steel, as Germany's largest steel producer, heavily relies on the funding for its industrial transformation, including initiatives like the development of the hydrogen core network and construction of a direct reduction plant.
Source: www.dpa.com
