The chemical industry is warning of a deep economic crisis in the event of a complete gas embargo. “In the event of a complete gas embargo, I fear a heart attack for the German economy, including our industry,” says Christian Kullmann, President of the German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) and Evonik boss, the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.
“Without chemicals, this country would stand still, because chemical products are required for 90 percent of all production processes,” he continues. The consequences for the employees would be serious, there was a risk of “a bad crisis, also socially and socially”.
In the energy-hungry chemical and pharmaceutical industries in particular, concerns about a gas shortage are great. According to the Chemical Industry Association (VCI), the sector is the largest German gas consumer with a share of 15 percent. It needs gas as a source of energy and as a raw material for further processing in products – such as plastics, medicines or fertilizers.
Kullmann therefore also questions the priority given to private households in the allocation of gas. Securing jobs and thus income is very important for families. “For society, it is more important than fully ensuring private gas supplies,” says Kullmann, who adds: “What’s the use if households continue to get gas but can no longer pay for it?”
The VCI boss has express praise for the crisis management from Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens). “Robert Habeck is a good economics minister, I’m impressed,” says Kullmann of the SZ. He is “not a swaggerer and announcement world champion”. During the election campaign, Kullmann had harshly criticized the Greens and compared Habeck to a fish stick: “a lot of breading, little in it”.
Kullmann, on the other hand, criticizes Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder. It’s not enough just to hug trees, Bavaria also has to build wind turbines. Kullmann said about the energy transition: “We must now quickly reduce the rights of citizens to object to such projects with the ax. Otherwise we will not be able to quickly expand renewable energies as planned.”
After weeks of pressure from the federal government, Canada has approved the export of a repaired turbine for the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline coming from Russia. Siemens now wants to install them as quickly as possible.