Every third company that uses gas would have to shut down (almost) all production if the gas supply were to fail. A study also shows that high costs and bureaucracy make the switch more difficult.
The government is calling on companies to replace gas quickly. In practice, however, this poses problems for many. According to a survey by the Chamber of Commerce, only five percent of companies surveyed can replace gas within a month, another 20 percent manage it in one year, 28 percent in two years. The main reason is the high investment costs, which means that a change is no longer profitable (see graph). Finally, bureaucracy also stands in the way: a plant permit takes six to nine months.
Call to government for rapid change
“Governments must quickly create the legal framework to enable rapid change. At the moment it is hardly possible for companies to carry out a gas replacement to be ready for the winter,” says Jürgen Streitner of the WKO.
Approvals should be faster. Often limit values for pollutants (fuel oil has much more emissions) do not allow a change of alternatives. Currently, about a third of companies would have to stop 90-100 percent of production if the gas supply were to be stopped. It sometimes takes a long time to start up again: 17 percent were only able to get back to work eight weeks later.
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.
