According to the Chamber of Commerce after Tuesday’s guest summit, the Energy Control Ordinance, which is now under investigation, could have been “just one of many steps” for the industry. At the same time, there are calls for “legal signals” and legal certainty, so that necessary conversions and investments are actually permissible – especially with regard to emission limit values. It is clear that relatively few companies are currently able to quickly replace some of their natural gas consumption with alternatives such as biomass, heating oil or alternative fuels.
“These technical transformations in the many companies that are not considered to be large-scale consumers require fast, legal signals in plant law and in energy control,” said Siegfried Menz, head of the industrial division. Rapid changes or emissions anomalies can accelerate replacement efforts and make better use of existing potential. According to Menz, smaller ‘key productions’ that are essential for maintaining supply chains would also benefit from this.
This would give companies the investment certainty that converting their systems to use with alternative fuels is actually allowed. “This, in turn, would significantly reduce natural gas consumption overall and speed up storage filling,” Menz says.
Stelzer: ‘We will not get through the crisis with recommendations’
Upper Austria Governor Thomas Stelzer (ÖVP) also emphasized that the outcome of the guest summit could be “just a first step”. Further efforts are needed, especially in the search for alternative gas suppliers. “We cannot get through a gas crisis with loose advice and suggestions alone,” says Stelzer.
Upper Austria and its industry are particularly dependent on natural gas. Thousands of jobs are threatened if Russia cuts gas supplies. Due to the switch to oil, the Chamber of Commerce has urged the adjustment of the CO2 emission limit values and the construction of new pipelines to Italy and Slovenia.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
