The past 2021 was for the Spanish steel industry a “very intense” year marked by a “significant recovery” in activity, but also by the impacts on the costs of the energy crisis sector, according to an analysis carried out by Andres Barceló, CEO of Unesid, an employer organization to which ArcelorMittal belongs, among other large companies.
“We need competitive and stable prices for electricity and gas, because otherwise it will be very difficult to tackle the decarbonisation process,” reflects Barceló. And he adds: “If we are not competitive in energy, we will hardly be attractive to attract investment.” “Our industry is the backbone of the Spanish sector”, adds the head of Unesid.
According to data from the Association of Large Industrial Energy Consumers (Aege), the factories that are most intensive in the use of electricity, including the steel mills, had average costs of 120 euros per megawatt / hour during 2021, an amount that more than doubled the price paid by French competitors (50.36 euros) and 43% higher than the average rate to which German plants have access.
The energy crisis, Andrés Barceló explains in a video published by Unesid, “has strong regulatory components”, referring to the fact that the disadvantage in prices of the Spanish electrointensive industry is directly related to the Government’s energy policy, which is less generous than other Europeans in public support to lower the energy bill.
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