Home » Business » Energy – Dresden – companies are concerned about gas supplies from Russia – economy

Energy – Dresden – companies are concerned about gas supplies from Russia – economy

Dresden (dpa/sn) – Despite the assurances of the Saxon state government, the economy is concerned about gas supplies in view of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine. “Companies can get into trouble, after all there is an energy-intensive industry in Saxony such as mechanical engineering, steel works, the automotive industry and also the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, which are very dependent on gas,” said Lars Fiehler, spokesman for the Saxon Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK ) on Wednesday.

Although the early warning level has only just been announced, the companies are already asking about further levels that could also include prioritization. “The alarm bells went off right away. They want to know who would be affected by a cut or cap,” explained Fiehler.

Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) and the head of the mining, chemical and energy union, Michael Vassiliadis, had called for prudence in the conflict over Russian gas supplies. “The uncertainty in the market and the enormous risk surcharges on raw material prices are endangering thousands of jobs and putting an enormous strain on people,” they said on Wednesday after a phone call. So far, the federal government has not had any technical reasons for calling the early warning level. “All delivery obligations have been met so far. The security of supply is currently still guaranteed.”

“It is now necessary to clarify whether all those involved are adhering to the terms of the valid supply contracts. There must also be a consensus across society that there will be no energy embargo from the German side,” it said. Every day with these high energy prices and the threat of an embargo, Germany takes the strength that Europe absolutely needs.

Businesses and consumers in Saxony do not have to adjust to gas supply restrictions for the time being, stressed Energy Minister Wolfram Günther (Greens) and Economics Minister Martin Dulig (SPD) on Wednesday. “The security of supply for the Saxon economy and households is currently guaranteed. The state does not yet have to intervene in the gas supply,” said Dulig. However, he has already received many calls from companies asking about the consequences of the early warning level.

However, to ensure the supply next winter, further measures would have to be taken, said Dulig. “Therefore, every gas consumer – whether private household or company – is required to save as much energy as possible.” But there is “no more room for improvement” among companies, said Fiehler from the IHK.

Energy Minister Günther emphasized that his department is in contact with the suppliers, the federal government and other countries. In addition, the federal government has set up a crisis team that assesses the supply situation on a daily basis in order to be able to decide on further measures.

On Wednesday, the CDU parliamentary group in the Saxon state parliament proposed a catalog of measures on how the energy supply in Germany can be secured in the future. Among other things, she calls for a technology-open discussion of future energy supply, the relief of renewable energies from levies, taxes and surcharges as well as a research and innovation offensive.

© dpa-infocom, dpa:220330-99-729512/3

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.