(Adds Economy Ministry response in paragraph 9 and 10)
By Tom Käckenhoff
DUESSELDORF, May 12 (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp has urged Berlin to move quickly to approve hundreds of millions
in subsidies for a landmark carbon-neutral steel site, with one
of the company's labour bosses saying workers' patience had run
out.
The criticism is mainly aimed at Economy Minister Robert
Habeck, who visited Thyssenkrupp's steel hub in Duisburg in 2022
and pledged support for the new plant.
Thyssenkrupp cannot cover the more than 2 billion euros
($2.2 billion) needed to build the so-called direct reduction
plant and associated infrastructure in Duisburg. The factory
alone accounts for 1.8 billion euros.
Thyssenkrupp's home state of North Rhine-Westphalia has
already pledged 700 million, but the company needs additional
help from the federal government.
Tekin Nasikkol, who heads the works council of Thyssenkrupp
Steel Europe, said Habeck, during his visit, promised to provide
"whatever it takes" to help Thyssenkrupp decarbonise steel
production, one of the most CO2-intense industrial processes.
"Now is the time to make good on this promise. Our patience
has run out," said Nasikkol, who also sits on Thyssenkrupp's
supervisory board. He told Reuters the subsidy applications had
been on Habeck's desk since autumn 2022.
"The funding application must be approved as it was
submitted, without cuts," he added. "The longer the delay, the
greater the risk that companies will consider leaving,"
Nasikkol, highlighting the risk to Germany's competitiveness.
Thyssenkrupp's investment share in the site, which will
produce 2.5 million metric tonnes a year and save 3.5 million
tonnes of CO2, is a high triple-digit million euro amount,
Rheinische Post previously reported.
Germany's Economy Ministry, in e-mailed comments, said it
continued to support Thyssenkrupp's plans but could not approve
the funds without consent from the European Commission, which is
still outstanding.
"We are in ongoing and constructive discussions with the
European Commission on this," a spokesperson for the ministry
said.
Thyssenkrupp rival Salzgitter has managed to
secure funds for a similar project, with Berlin adding 700
million euros in funds while the state of Lower Saxony,
Salzgitter's top shareholders, contributes 300 million.
($1 = 0.9084 euros)
(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Additional reporting by
Christoph Steitz and Markus Wacket. Editing by Jane Merriman)
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