Germany’s steel industry, among other manufacturing industries, has called on the federal government to step up a decision in favour of a temporary “bridge electricity price”, Kallanish notes.
National federations and workers’ unions from the steel, glass, chemicals, construction materials and nonferrous metals sectors issued in August a unanimous call to policymakers for a decision on how to make electricity affordable for industrial users. They joined to form the Allianz pro Brückenstrompreis – Alliance for a Bridge Electricity Price.
They have now issued another urgent appeal, after a recent meeting by the government on industrial matters failed to bring a result. The meeting “missed out on the opportunity to send a clear signal for a climate-neutral industry in Germany,” says Kerstn Rippel, managing director of Wirtschaftsvereinigung (WV) Stahl. Along with the other associations, WV is pleading for an introduction of the bridge price as of January 2024.
The plea was also carried to the European Commission by the minister presidents of the German states. “This strong signal set in Brussels must now also be heard in Berlin, where the budget is currently being negotiated,” says Bernhard Osburg, chief executive of thyssenkrupp Steel and current president of WV Stahl. “Now is the time to set the course for affordable electricity, because enormous future investments in the transformation of our industry must now be pushed forward.”
The joint call was also echoed in Switzerland by Swiss Steel. The firm runs most of its production in Germany through Deutsche Edelstahlwerke, which employs thousands of people, it notes. “This is about nothing less but the future of Germany as a location for industries,” Swiss Steel says in a statement.
Christian Koehl Germany
