On 15 October, in an extraordinary meeting, the FEMZ (Zaragoza Metal Business Federation) and several companies, including Fundiciones Río Ebro, held a telematic meeting in which we discussed the issue of the cost of electricity.
The FEMZ´s President, Mr. Javier Ferrer, gathered our concerns and demands so that they could specify the profile of our claims and compromised himself to keep us informed of the actions already undertaken.
Different companies commented that in our sector we have been investing for years in energy efficiency and consumption savings through the modernisation and adaptation of installations. These investments, which are substantial, have seen their effectiveness reduced by the disproportionate increase in the price of electricity. The need to “not change the rules of the game in the middle of the match” was also raised, such as the modifications to the conditions of our contracts with electricity suppliers.
From Fundiciones Río Ebro we explained the need to implement an energy generation policy in accordance with our reality. It is paradoxical that on the one hand Spain is considering the closure of its nuclear power plants and on the other it is buying nuclear energy from France and Morocco to cover the country’s needs.
In order to minimise the impact of the increase in electricity prices, various measures were proposed that do not result in the creation of wealth and employment. While some companies indicated that if prices continued to rise, they would have to pass on the increase in their costs to their products, others proposed reducing production or even adopting more drastic measures, such as requesting temporary or permanent lay-off of their taskforce in their companies.
In the short and medium term, there is no alternative to the current energy generation system on the part of the Government that could prevent companies from carrying out the aforementioned measures. With the consequent loss of wealth and employment generation for the country.
