Woidke wants billions for conversion at the Schwedt site

Created: 08/09/2022, 17:40

The chimneys of the PCK refinery in Schwedt reach for the sky.

© Annette Riedl/dpa

Brandenburg's government wants to find answers to people's fears of the energy crisis.

Is the economic and social fabric in danger?

Prime Minister Woidke names demands on the federal government.

It's about a lot of money.

Potsdam – Brandenburg's Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) is demanding at least 1.5 billion euros from the federal government for a realignment of the Schwedt oil refinery site.

A transformation fund is required over a period of at least 15 years, according to an internal paper by the head of government available to the dpa.

The state will participate in the transformation process with 150 million euros.

The "Märkische Oderzeitung" (Thursday) had previously reported on the paper.

With the additional funds, the conversion of the industrial site should succeed in the direction of a climate-friendly and innovative production site.

A few months before the start of the oil embargo against Russia, the future of the refinery in Schwedt in north-eastern Brandenburg is still unclear.

The head of government wants to agree on the country's future strategy for overcoming the energy crisis and its positions towards the federal government at a special cabinet meeting on Tuesday (September 13).

The government is also planning a meeting with energy suppliers, network operators, energy-intensive companies and trade unions.

"The challenges of security of supply and price developments have the potential to question our economic and social fabric to an unprecedented extent," the internal paper says.

Companies and private consumers would have to adjust to further increases in gas and mineral oil prices.

The federal and state governments also want to speak at a conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) about financing the planned relief package.

In his letter, Woidke emphasized that states such as Brandenburg in particular, which already contribute to the power supply in Germany with a high proportion of renewable energies, should only continue to be burdened to a reasonable extent.

For the oil refinery PCK in Schwedt, Woidke is demanding a job guarantee for all employees from the federal government until at least the end of 2024 and the exclusion of short-time work.

Because of the Russian war in Ukraine, the federal government has undertaken to refrain from using Russian oil from the pipeline from next year.

PCK would be particularly affected by the oil embargo.

The plant supplies large parts of eastern Germany with fuel.

At the end of August, the Federal Ministry of Economics confirmed the continued existence of PCK for the period after the start of the embargo, but is still looking for a solution to preserve it.

Woidke rejects the gas allocation in its current form.

"I think the gas allocation is a mistake," Woidke told Super Illu.

"Similar to the rescue of Lufthansa in the Corona crisis, there should instead be a targeted solution for affected companies like Uniper, which is financed from taxpayers' money and at least partially repaid in better times." dpa