High energy costs, the closure of some plants for maintenance and the need for some companies to take advantage of ERTE, caused steel production to decrease by 20% in 2022, reaching 11.5 million tons, a a figure very similar to that registered in 2020, the year the pandemic broke out.
These are the data that have been known this morning during the board of directors of Unesid, the employers' association of the steel sector, during which they have insisted on the high toll that the increases in electricity prices have entailed. The president of the association, Bernardo Velázquez, has highlighted that, despite the fact that the price of electricity has stabilized, it must not be forgotten that electricity exceeded 200 euros per megawatt hour (MWh) on an annual average last year, " double what was paid before”. This increase in the price of electricity led to an extra increase in production costs, which before the energy crisis were between 30 and 50% higher than competitors in other countries.
In addition, the apparent consumption of steel fell by 4.3% in 2022, going from 13 million tons in 2021 to 12.4 million.
From the sector they demand a reform in the electricity market system and ensure that, if it is not undertaken, the pressure on prices will continue to be observed in 2024 and 2025.
"We can't wait until it's windy or if it rains", summed up the general director of Unesid, Andrés Barceló, presenting the latest data from a sector that, in his opinion, is very "attractive" to work for.
In fact, and always according to data from employers, more than 92% of the 21,177 direct jobs it generates are permanent. The employment generated has grown by 1.5% in the last year.
Unesid regrets that European funds are not reaching Spain smoothly and ensures that 77% of the total aid for the steel industry is going to Germany and France.
In this sense, he demands greater public financing and criticizes that the PERTE for industrial decarbonization (a vehicle that allows channeling the receipt of European aid promoted to overcome the economic effects of the pandemic) "is taking a long time."
