The draft general budget of the State for 2023 includes items of 335 million euros for aid to electro-intensive industries, a sector with a strong weight in Asturias and whose competitiveness is in danger due to the increase in energy bills. The Government has highlighted that the aid has increased by 65 million euros with respect to the 2022 budget. However, it must be taken into account that the support program for electro-intensive industries had been reinforced in March 2022 with an extra 65 million for the CO2 cost compensation mechanism within the national response plan to the economic and social consequences of the war in Ukraine. Therefore, the money budgeted for 2023 is the same that was finally allocated in 2022 to support industries: 335 million euros
The main item of aid to electro-intensive companies included in the 2023 budgets is precisely the compensation program for indirect CO2 costs. There is an item of 244 million, the same amount to which the aid with the extra funds was raised in 2022. In that exercise, 16% of the money went to Asturian companies, to factories of ArcelorMittal, Asturiana de Zinc, Saint-Gobain, Ence, Asturiana de Laminados and Aleastur.
In the 2023 budgets, an item of 91 million euros is also included for the compensation program for electro-intensive consumers of the costs passed on in the charges of the electricity bill corresponding to the financing of renewable energies, high-efficiency cogeneration and extra-peninsular costs. The amount is the same as budgeted in 2022.
In addition to the aid, a contribution of 1.5 million to the Spanish Reserve Fund for the Guarantee of Electro-intensive Entities is included in the 2023 accounts, which acts as an instrument to support and promote long-term energy contracting by electro-intensive consumers. .