‘The cost of energy for some companies reaches up to 60% of operating costs. There are already two companies in SEV, which I understand are considering closing two large factories if a solution is not found soon,’ said SEV President Spyros Theodoropoulos.
The issue of energy costs is still unresolved. Energy prices in Europe remain high, admitted European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen recently, taking stock of energy policy.
She also admitted that “in some member-states, electricity costs two or three times more than in others,” which she linked to the lack of sufficient interconnections and the insufficient use of existing ones. Greece belongs to this category of countries, where energy prices are double or even triple the prices of other countries in Central and Western Europe, making the issue of reducing energy costs for energy-intensive industry, as industry players have repeatedly stressed, existential.
After continuous pressure from the industry, the Greek government seemed to be paying attention to the problem and making it a priority at great delay, as is evident from the revelations made by Hellenic Federation of Enterprises (SEV) President Spyros Theodoropoulos on Wednesday about two industries that are seriously considering closing down if a solution is not found soon.
“The cost of energy for some companies reaches up to 60% of operating costs. It is the biggest problem we are facing at the moment. We are under great pressure from our competitors in Turkey and in Europe. There are already two companies in SEV which I understand are considering closing two large factories if a solution is not found soon,” he told the general assembly of the Federation of Industries of Central Greece, where the keynote speaker was Deputy Prime Minister Kostis Hatzidakis. Asked what kind of businesses he meant, the SEV president replied, “They are heavy industry companies and if we lose them our economy will suffer.”
The alarm bell the SEV president rang came just two days after the informal interministerial meeting on energy costs, at which SEV did not receive the expected response from the government to its proposal for the adoption of the “Italian model,” which would ensure low prices for energy-intensive industry from renewables for three years in exchange for the return of the available quantity over a period of 20 years, sending a message about the urgency of the situation.