The super bills also involve the glass industry, which has an average consumption of natural gas of over 1 billion cubic meters per year (1,5% of national consumption) and an electricity requirement of 3 TWh / year ( 1% of national consumption).
The outsized growth in energy prices seriously threatens the recovery of the sector, risking seriously damaging this sector which is one of the flagships of Made in Italy.
Assovetro, the National Association of Glass Industrialists adhering to Confindustria, has launched the appeal on the energy costs of the glass industry, which have quadrupled.
“It is a geopolitical problem to be addressed - declared the President of Assovetro Graziano Marcovecchio - due to the uncertainties about gas supplies, for which Italy is about 95% dependent on foreign countries.
National initiatives are also needed both on the natural gas market, to encourage greater liquidity and lower the price, and on the electricity market, in order to reduce the gap with our European competitors.
Without intervention, our competitiveness and our survival are at serious risk. Our industry is among the most exposed to the record worsening of energy costs: the high melting temperatures - 1600 ° C - and the impossibility of turning off the plants, otherwise irreversible damage, make us particularly exposed to what is happening ".
The Italian glass industry employs about 30.000 direct employees and the same number in related industries and ranks second in Europe for production volumes and first for packaging.
Assovetro brings together 27 glass manufacturing companies out of the 32 present in Italy, as well as 41 processing companies.
It is a strategic sector for the national economy that involves fundamental supply chains such as pharmaceuticals, food, construction and infrastructure, automotive and transport, cosmetics, furniture, household products, artistic glass, lamps.
The glass container industry also contributes to Italian performance in the circular economy: in fact, almost 80% of recycled glass is used in glass factories, with savings in raw materials and energy.
