Spanish steel industry association Unesid, of which ArcelorMittal and 45 other companies in the sector are part, yesterday called on the Government to “expeditiously” negotiate with the European Commission to extend the implementation period of projects supported under the Mechanism. . In the opinion of Ünesid general manager, Andrés Barcelocompanies They will face “enormous difficulties” in finalizing investments within the specified time. “They seem to have forgotten about the delays and other obstacles in the supply chain (engineering and capital goods), because the deadline for making the investment (March 31, 2026) is still there, although extensions of implementation times are being considered.” “There is an insurmountable obstacle today,” he said.
The steel employers’ association specifically refers to the first line of action of PERTE (Strategic Decarbonisation Project for Recovery and Economic Transformation), which provides public aid of 1,000 million from the Ministry of Industry’s European Next Generation funds. He just brought this to the public agenda.
However, the problem of tight deadlines for the execution of energy transition projects may also be reflected in the second line of PERTE, which has already been approved for 450 million to replace coal with green hydrogen at the Gijón cap for the ArcelorMittal project. One of two Veriña blast furnaces with a direct reduction furnace (DRI). ArcelorMittal has not yet definitively confirmed this investment (the largest in its decarbonization plan) because it is trying to guarantee acceptable implementation times and viable energy prices..
Unesid calls on the Ministry of Industry to “quickly negotiate with the European Commission” so that community management “allows implementation in accordance with industrial and regulatory reality”. The steel employers’ association argues that the deadlines for both public consultation and execution of projects are extremely short and regrets the “enormous bureaucratic burden” caused by the new call for the new PERTE line.
Unesid therefore expresses its “concern” about “PERTE aid not being compatible with the needs of the sector” and announced that it will discuss it.
In addition to deadlines being too tight, the steel union objects to the fact that the regulatory brs of the new 1,000 million line allows projects to be carried out “with a reduced minimum budget” and through “non-competitive competition”, which in turn allows approval. To choose the best one without waiting for all the customized projects to be evaluated together if they comply with the standards.
Unesid, which brings together major companies, says “this artificial distribution” could create “an avalanche of submissions and approvals”. This means “giving some to the many rather than selecting projects with transformative potential.” and “where it is needed most, such as in sectors subject to strong international competition and displacement.”
In PERTE’s report, Industria argues “the difficulty of the public appeal in competitive competition” because “the aid instrument targets the industrial manufacturing sector as a whole, which consists of a large number of different industrial sub-sectors, each with specific characteristics. “Types and intensity of emissions”, company sizes, They are very different in terms of the technologies they need, etc…. and he argues that this heterogeneity makes comparison difficult.
The steel leader will leave Kazakhstan with the nationalization of his interests in the country
World steel leader ArcelorMittal and the Government of Kazakhstan reached an agreement in principle on the nationalization of the multinational company’s interests and businesses in the country. The operation came to light after a fire broke out in a mine belonging to a steel company in Kazakhstan on Saturday, causing the death of at least 45 workers. Bloomberg agency attributed the initiative of the Kazakh Government to various accidents that occurred at the company’s facilities. However, the multinational company assured that “negotiations on the transfer of ownership of ArcelorMittal Temirtau back to the Government” began “months ago” and that “an agreement in principle” was signed “last week”, before Saturday’s accident. “ArcelorMittal is committed to completing this transaction as quickly as possible,” he said. The company was founded in Kazakhstan in the 90s and currently has iron and coal mines and a steel factory in the country. After learning of the operation, ArcelorMittal shares lost 3.98% in value on the Madrid Stock Exchange.