Soaring prices have already forced them to reduce production capacity in aluminum and zinc by 50%.
It is a very alarmist letter that 40 European manufacturers of non-ferrous metals (aluminum, zinc, copper, lead, etc.) sent on Wednesday to Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. It is, they write, “sound the alarm about the worsening energy crisis in Europe and the existential threat to our future”. Not less. In question, of course, the surge in energy prices in Europe, both gas and electricity.
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The impact of this crisis is already very real. Industrialists observe “a 50% reduction in aluminum and zinc production capacities in the European Union, as well as capacity reductions in silicon and ferroalloys and impacts on the copper and nickel sectors”. And the movement could amplify with winter, the time of year when energy prices are generally the highest. “The coming winter could deal a decisive blow to many of our operations”warns the letter…