With the new electricity price package, the German government is sidelining 5,000 SMEs. International competitiveness continues to decline, with German steel processors paying 2.4 to 3.3 times more for electricity than their foreign competitors.
"The electricity price package may benefit a few electricity-intensive companies, but SMEs will gain nothing from it," criticizes Christian Vietmeyer, Managing Director of the German Steel and Metal Processing Association (WSM). Figures prove the imbalance: according to WSM calculations, lower grid fees, further reductions in levies, surcharges and taxes will result in an electricity price of around 8.3 cents per kilowatt hour for corporations in 2024. For medium-sized steel and metal processors, it will be around 16.3 cents.
"The electricity price package may benefit a few electricity-intensive companies, but SMEs will benefit nothing"
Many companies in the WSM sector manufacture components for the required energy and mobility transition - such as wind turbines, electric motors and tracks. And despite their relevance to the transformation, they are expected to pay twice as much for electricity as energy-intensive companies.
Internationally active industrial SMEs are alarmed: The measures adopted will further reduce their competitiveness. Steel and metal processing companies in Germany are already paying significantly more for electricity: 2.5 times more than their competitors in France, 2.4 times more than their competitors in China and even 3.3 times more than their competitors in the USA. "That leaves them without a chance on the global market. Further migration is inevitable," emphasizes Christian Vietmeyer.
