Although electromobility is considered an industry of the future, things are going well in this area too: On Monday afternoon, a Carinthian company that produces e-charging stations had to file for bankruptcy. The excessive debt burden amounts to almost 15 million euros; In the Gailtal, 97 employees are now worried about their jobs.
A few months ago, Energetica, the largest producer of photovoltaic elements in Carinthia, was “busted”, and now a manufacturer of electromobility infrastructure is also threatened with extinction: With more than 15 million euros in debt, EnerCharge GmbH in Kötschach-Mauthen had to close on Monday afternoon Go to the bankruptcy court in Klagenfurt. Charging stations for electric cars have been developed and produced at the locations in Kötschach and Oberlienz since 2018.
According to the Alpine Creditors Association, 97 employees and 125 creditors are affected. The approaching end is a particularly heavy blow to the company in the economically disadvantaged Gailtal: a large production company has already gone bankrupt; in addition, the long-term closure of the Plöcken Pass after a rockfall is causing enormous problems in the region.
The reasons for the bankruptcy are still unclear. “The company was able to triple its turnover between 2022 and 2023. At the same time, customer commitments for 2024 were announced and staff were built up for this. In early 2024 it became clear that the promised orders could not be achieved quickly enough to cover the cost structure sustainably,” according to the Credit Protection Association of 1870.
Renovation planned, but smarttt
What should happen now for EnerCharge? The plan is to sell the company as a “total package” in order to achieve a higher quota and save what can be saved. However, things are not looking good; according to credit protection agencies, liquidity amounts to just under a million euros. Therefore, an out-of-court restructuring has already failed due to a lack of financial resources. Klagenfurt lawyer Klaus Haslinglehner was appointed as trustee.
Source: Krone
I’m Ben Stock, a journalist and author at Today Times Live. I specialize in economic news and have been working in the news industry for over five years. My experience spans from local journalism to international business reporting. In my career I’ve had the opportunity to interview some of the world’s leading economists and financial experts, giving me an insight into global trends that is unique among journalists.
