The situation at the SKW nitrogen works in Piesteritz, which has been hit particularly hard by the gas crisis, is coming to a head. The company from Wittenberg is one of the most important manufacturers of fertilizers and also of AdBlue, without which any modern truck hardly moves.
Ammonia plants are already standing and there is a risk of short-time work, according to a spokesman. Currently it is not worth opening an ammonia plant that is available again. The company would lose as much in a month as it would make in a year, the spokesman said. Due to the gas crisis, there is now a complete shutdown of production. Nothing is produced for days. October 1 is the start of possible short-time work for the workforce. The reason is the extremely high gas prices and the gas surcharge. SKW is expected to pay a gas surcharge of 30 million euros per month. The spokesperson said this was not financially feasible.
Politics requires solutions
He is still in daily contact with the company’s management, Saxony-Anhalt Economy Minister Sven Schulze (CDU) said during a visit to the factory on Thursday. But he also cares about the workforce. He explained to the heads of the works council what efforts and ideas had been put in place in Berlin together with the SKW. He has the feeling that there is movement there. At least there is a clear commitment from State Secretary Michael Kellner from the Federal Ministry of Economics that all solutions from Saxony-Anhalt will be intensively examined by the Federal Government. Those prospects should also instill confidence, Schulze said.
The head of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce in southern Saxony-Anhalt, Thomas Brockmeier, described the introduction of the gas tax as a “death blow” for energy-intensive companies. He also cited SKW Piesteritz as an example. A production shutdown would have “wide-ranging consequences” – not just for suppliers and many families in the structurally weak region. Due to the lack of fertilizers, crop failures are also to be feared.
The company spokesman warns that if SKW does not produce, freight traffic will also stop on the road. Because AdBlue is also produced in significant quantities at SKW. The urea solution is used in the further processing of diesel engine exhaust.