A week ago, the President of the Republic received representatives of the 50 most polluting industrial estates in France at the Élysée to ask them to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Among them, ArcelorMittal France, whose two sites account for no less than 25% of industrial greenhouse gas emissions in France.
“This agreement is to implement the aid that we have negotiated with the French State. We are ready, we have the solutions, we are in a position to quickly bring order to the issue”, adds the leader.
Let us remember that the main source of energy for the company’s blast furnaces is still coal today, with the idea being to replace it with carbon-free hydrogen.
“The European Commission must move faster”
However, even if this subsidy file is released quickly, the group fears that its competitiveness will melt away in France. In question, the massive subsidies given to American industry through the Inflation Reduction Act.
“We see massive aid to the American industry (…), the European Commission must go faster to decide on the aid”, emphasizes Eric Niedziela who does not hide the risk of relocation.
“This is the discussion we are having within the group at the moment. The Dunkirk and Fos projects (the group’s two French sites, editor’s note) had a competitive advantage before the implementation of the Inflation Reduction Law. The Competitiveness is inverse, hence the discussion with the president to act quickly. We quickly need the green light from the European Commission, “repeated the manager.
If the notion of closure is not mentioned, “it is the notion of competitiveness on a group that is global, to see where it can produce at the best cost to be competitive in Europe”, warns Eric Niedziela.
Source: BFM TV
