BERLIN/HELSINKI (dpa-AFX) – CDU leader Friedrich Merz has sparked strong criticism with statements about the “green” future of the German steel industry. Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) said before a meeting of the expanded Green Party executive committee in Berlin that Merz did not believe in “green” steel. “This statement is a slap in the face of all the employees. Because it can only be translated as saying that German steel production is coming to an end.”
Merz said on Monday in Bochum at a works council conference of the CDU employee wing CDA: “I personally don’t believe that the quick switch to a hydrogen-powered steelworks will be successful. Where is the hydrogen supposed to come from? We don’t have it. And if we If you do that with hydrogen, then the ton of steel is still at least 300 euros more expensive than if it was previously produced conventionally.”
Habeck said there will no longer be a market for “black” steel in the 2030s. “All major economies, the US, China, have embarked on a path to decarbonize steel.” Nobody should believe that steel produced using coal energy still has a chance on the global market. “That then means that steel production in Germany will disappear.” But Germany must remain an industrial country.
SPD also criticizes Merz
Saarland’s Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger wrote on Platform X that Merz was laying the ax to the steel industry in Germany. “Anyone who wants to turn back now will destroy billions and tens of thousands of jobs.”
Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) said on the sidelines of a Baltic Sea summit in Helsinki that the federal government had given the conditions for the establishment of a hydrogen network. “We are on the path to using hydrogen.”
Restructuring of the steel industry
“Green” hydrogen, produced primarily on the basis of renewable energies from wind and sun, is expected to play a key role in the energy system of the future. Scholz referred to progress in the expansion of wind and solar energy in Germany.
The steel industry is one of the largest CO2 emitters. The federal government is funding the “green” restructuring with billions. The steel industry relies on large amounts of hydrogen for this.
However, there is a risk of delays when setting up a supply network. Thyssenkrupp boss Miguel López called for a faster development of a hydrogen pipeline network in Europe.
Jürgen Kerner, second chairman of IG Metall, said of Merz’s statements: “Anyone who doesn’t believe in green steel is promoting the end of the steel industry in Germany – with fatal effects far beyond the industry. We would lose tens of thousands of jobs and be left with one of the most important raw materials have become dangerously dependent, especially on China.” The industry must produce in a climate-friendly manner in the future.
With regard to the availability of affordable hydrogen, Kerner said: “We expect flexibility from German and European politics.” 80 percent CO2 savings could be achieved if the new systems were initially operated with gas as a first step. “Green hydrogen can then be used as soon as it is affordable.”/hoe/DP/mis
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