German industry is preparing to shut down production

Dusseldorf, Frankfurt In view of the reduced gas flows from Russia, large parts of German industry are preparing to shut down their production in an orderly manner should the supply situation deteriorate significantly. Large consumers from the chemical, metal and building materials industries are already examining how a reduction in the delivery quantity would affect their own value chain, as a survey by the Handelsblatt shows.

For example, the world’s largest chemical group, BASF, expects to be able to continue operating the production network at its Ludwigshafen headquarters with reduced load if the gas volume supplied is up to 50 percent below the maximum energy requirement. “But if the supply were to drop significantly and permanently below 50 percent, we would have to shut down the production site in compliance with the necessary safety standards,” says the group.

The decisive factor is then how long a delivery stop would last and how quickly alternative solutions can be found.

Gas delivery stop: Industry in Germany is planning gas supply with several scenarios