European aluminum under threat: Slovakia asks for industry benefits
The Slovak government plans to sign a ten-year memorandum of cooperation with the Slovalco aluminum plant, which stopped producing primary aluminum in early 2023, Prime Minister Robert Fico said.
As part of its support for energy-intensive enterprises, Fico intends to propose a European solution providing for multi-year exemptions from participation in the emissions trading system.
During his visit to Slovalco, the Prime Minister stated that the aluminum plant in Žiar nad Gronom is a modern and environmentally friendly enterprise capable of producing raw materials of strategic importance for both Slovakia and the EU. He noted that about 1.2 million tons of primary aluminum are currently produced in Europe.
He also stressed that several European companies had to stop production due to high electricity prices, and now Europe imports most of the aluminum from China or Africa, where energy is mainly produced from coal.
According to the prime minister, the problem of the energy-intensive industry lies in the emissions trading system.
He believes that several years of exemption from the emissions trading system can help Slovalco and other energy-intensive companies. The Prime Minister plans to inform other European countries about this proposal and submit it to the European Commission.
At the national level, the Prime Minister intends to sign a ten-year memorandum of cooperation with the aluminum plant in Gjar nad Gronom.