Siderurgia: Federacciai, con caro energia a rischio continuità produttiva

As the dire energy situation for Italy's energy-intensive industries, particularly the steel sector, becomes increasingly apparent, Federacciai, the steelworkers' union, warns of potential risks worsening this situation in the coming months. The association highlights the threat of further disruptions to production and the danger of plant shutdowns due to the economic unfeasibility of energy costs.

Amidst an energy crisis exacerbated by international geopolitical tensions, it becomes increasingly challenging to comprehend the application of the ETS system to emissions from gas-fired power plants, according to Federacciai. The decree Bollette, aimed at addressing this critical issue, has been stalled for months at the European level.

Federacciai believes that Italy must engage across all its jurisdictions to seek a temporary suspension of the ETS for the thermal power sector during the emergency period. Simultaneously, the union urges collaboration with other European countries to overcome a system that, in the absence of a true European single energy market, risks exacerbating disparities between the Union's diverse economies.

Furthermore, it is deemed essential that the Italian government confirms all tools, including interruptions, interconnectors, and energy release, which compensate for services rendered to the national electrical system. These mechanisms have, in recent years, helped alleviate the impact of expensive energy on energy-intensive industries.

However, even with these tools in place, Italian energy-intensive enterprises continue to face significantly higher energy costs compared to their European counterparts, according to Federacciai.