Instead of clearly committing to Germany as an industrial hub and launching the transformation at full speed, the federal government has once again postponed important decisions for the future. This is how the members of the Alliance for a Bridge Electricity Price assess the results of the closed-door meeting in Meseberg. The Alliance members called on the federal government to swiftly adopt a time-limited bridge electricity price, as investment decisions are either imminent or will not be made at all. Every week that passes is too late for many companies.
Those who fail to act now risk a great deal: competitiveness will be lost, the green transition will be jeopardized, and employees will have to fear for their jobs. The entire industrial value chain in Europe is at risk of suffering lasting damage. Without a bridge electricity price effective January 1, 2024, jobs and entire locations will continue to be threatened. The alliance announced that it would continue to join forces and increase pressure on the federal government.
The Alliance for a Bridge Electricity Price is a coalition of associations and industrial unions representing energy-intensive industries. Together, they represent 1.1 million employees at 8,000 energy-intensive companies.
Statements from representatives of the Alliance for a Bridge Electricity Price
Franziska Erdle, Executive Director of WirtschaftsVereinigung Metalle e.V.
The decisions made by the federal government following its closed-door meeting in Meseberg fail to include necessary measures to address high electricity costs. We therefore urge the federal government not to shelve the issue of electricity costs after Meseberg, but rather to continue addressing it intensively and to introduce appropriate measures to ensure a competitive electricity price in order to prevent the loss of industrial value creation.
Press contact: Teresa Schad, 030 726207 111
Dr. Matthias Frederichs, Executive Director, Federal Association of Building Materials – Stones and Earths (bbs)
Meseberg could have paved the way for competitive electricity prices. Further weakening of energy-intensive industries must be prevented as a matter of urgency, as the federal states and parts of the governing coalition have long recognized. Now is the time to send a clear signal in support of Germany as an industrial location—with a transitional electricity price for energy-intensive industries and the retention of the peak-load equalization mechanism for the electricity tax. The current uncertainty facing employees and companies constitutes gross negligence.
Press contact: Luke Voutta, 030 72619 9923
Dr. Johann Overath, Chief Executive Officer, Federal Association of the Glass Industry (Bundesverband Glasindustrie e.V.)
The cabinet meeting did not yield the desired result for the glass industry: The bridge electricity price—which is so crucial for us and which we need in the short term to overcome the current crisis and drive the transformation forward as quickly as possible—was not approved. Yet it is five minutes to midnight for Germany’s energy-intensive basic materials industries. While long-term measures are certainly welcome in principle, we need support now! A bridge electricity price would have an immediate impact and make it significantly easier for companies in the glass industry to decide to invest in a climate-neutral future. After all, the electrification of sub-processes in glass production will be a key pillar in the decarbonization of the entire glass industry.
Press contact: Dorothee Richardt, 0211 902278 25
Jörg Hofmann, President of IG Metall
At its closed-door meeting, the federal government resolved long-standing points of contention and set well-known projects in motion. However, it apparently failed to generate new ideas or momentum. What is urgently needed is relief for energy-intensive industries through a bridge electricity price until renewable energy has been sufficiently expanded. Unfortunately, the federal government has not yet been able to bring itself to implement this. As IG Metall, we will continue to advocate for this sensible measure to secure business locations and jobs in a targeted manner.
Press contact: Artur Siemens, 069 6693 2872
Stefan Körzell, Member of the DGB Federal Executive Board
With regard to electricity prices, the results from Meseberg are disappointing. Instead of implementing decisive measures, the federal government is acting only tentatively. The situation is serious, and time is of the essence: We need clarity quickly to keep industrial production in the country. A subsidized industrial electricity rate that promotes good jobs, value creation, and transformation must be introduced quickly now. We need it as a stopgap until sufficient renewable and more cost-effective energy sources are available. The federal government must not continue to dither and sit on this issue—too much is at stake.
Press contact: Jan Piegsa, 030 24060 216
Kerstin Maria Rippel, CEO of the German Steel Association
In Meseberg, an opportunity was missed to send a clear signal about the climate-neutral future of our industry in Germany. After all, this is precisely where the steel industry wants to—and can—make an enormous contribution by reducing CO2 emissions by 55 million metric tons per year. For this to succeed, companies must be empowered today to compete successfully on the global stage. The price of electricity is one of the decisive factors here. The transition to a climate-neutral future therefore requires policy measures that mitigate the competitive disadvantage caused by electricity costs that are far too high—and we need them now!
Press contact: Klaus Schmidtke, 30 23 25 546 15
Winfried Schaur, President of Die Papierindustrie e.V.
The federal government has missed an important opportunity to provide German industry with growth prospects and planning certainty for investments. The crucial bridge electricity price was not adopted, and the extension of the peak load compensation scheme was postponed. The Growth Opportunities Act that was passed will not be sufficient to provide the necessary impetus for transformation.
Press Contact: Christina Labusch, 0175 7035957
Markus Steilemann, President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI)
The federal government must no longer ignore the cry for help from energy-intensive industries. A bridge electricity price is not only desirable—it is an absolute must in this crisis. The “traffic light” coalition must no longer stand idly by while declines in production and losses of orders rob many companies in our industry of their confidence. To halt deindustrialization, it must restore faith in Germany as a business location NOW. Well-intentioned long-term programs are not enough. We need immediate measures.
Press contact: Ilka Ennen, 069 2556 1549
Michael Vassiliadis, Chairman of IG Bergbau, Chemie, Energie
With the decisions made in Meseberg, the federal government has taken the first steps toward improving conditions for industry here. But that cannot and must not be the last word on the matter. What we need now is a bold industrial policy initiative that brings us back to an equal footing with other regions internationally—and does so quickly and sustainably at the same time. For energy-intensive industries, this includes a transitional electricity price that acts as a massive boost for climate-friendly modernization. We must pull out all the stops to ensure that the industry invests now in the transformation of domestic sites—and does not relocate abroad. Only in this way can we guarantee the preservation of good jobs, a secure supply for other industries, and progress in climate protection.
Press contact: Lars Ruzic, 0511 7631 135
