It took years, but on Sunday the Commission announced a severe penalty against Hungary. Subsidies are to be cut by €7.5 billion – if a majority of member states agree. You can read in the news how Budapest will try to avert the penalty as early as this week.
The party of French President Emmanuel Macron carried out a different kind of reform on the weekend. On Saturday “la République en Marche” became “Renaissance”. At the same time, two small partners joined the new party. The reform is intended to secure the alliance’s future after Macron’s term in office ends in 2027.
The country’s nuclear power plants need a much faster rebirth. But there are doubts about the timetable for the maintenance and repair of the reactors, which are shut down in a row, writes our France correspondent Tanja Kuchenbecker.
Starting tomorrow, the International Motor Show (IAA) will focus on future technologies. My colleague Markus Grabitz provides an outlook on new models of commercial vehicles – from battery-electric trucks to competition for fuel cells: novel hydrogen engines.
Today, commercial vehicles are to prevent traffic chaos in London. The vast majority of heads of state and government will travel by bus to the funeral service for the late Queen Elizabeth II. In the evening, she will arrive at her final resting place at Windsor Castle in a private circle.
The French government is pushing the state-owned utility EDF to restart nuclear reactors in the winter. A realistic goal? Between repair work, inspections, and safety checks, there is a lot of uncertainty about whether the schedule can be met. In recent months, France had to buy massive amounts of additional electricity from other countries, including Germany. “I’m really counting on EDF to ensure its restart program in the coming winter… so that we don’t have to restart a coal-fired power plant,” Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne warned.
However, experts are skeptical about whether the company can achieve this. Most recently, only 24 of 56 reactors were running. EDF had shut down 32, 20 for routine checks, and twelve because of corrosion problems. Currently, 29 reactors are not running, as EDF stated on request. Three of them had a restart in recent weeks. The misery also weighs financially on the now fully nationalized utility: the operating profit (Ebitda) is expected to be burdened by about €29 billion this year, the group explained on Thursday, €5 billion more than previously planned.
The causes: The program to overhaul the reactors was postponed due to the pandemic. Originally, the group had to modernize many of the old reactors between 2019 and 2024. In addition, corrosion was discovered at the end of 2021, EDF has therefore started a control program at twelve reactors.
The shut down nuclear power plants are scheduled to go back online during the winter. The company publishes an updated calendar that dates the planned restarts. Eight reactors more are scheduled to go back online in September. In October, another five, in November another seven, and in December four.
By the end of December, 51 of the 56 reactors could be back on the grid. The remaining five are to be added in January and February. According to EDF, maintenance on 15 reactors has been postponed so they can remain online during the winter. “EDF and the whole industry are mobilized to restart the reactors under safety criteria,” a spokeswoman said. But compared to a list a few days ago, there have already been delays and renewed maintenance needs.
The ambitious program is fraught with many uncertainties. The French Nuclear Safety Authority ASN did not comment on the calendar, saying there was too much “uncertainty.” It is responsible for approving the restart of the affected reactors. This is especially critical for the reactors affected by corrosion. The situation is more manageable for the others, which were only undergoing maintenance. According to the plan, several reactors inspected for corrosion are scheduled for a restart between September and November. Last winter, 17 reactors were inactive, which did not cause power outages. But at that time, Europe was not yet in an energy crisis.
Nicolas Mazzucchi, Research Director at the Navy’s Center for Strategic Studies, thinks the plan is ambitious. “The calendar has been accelerated, so it will be a challenge. But it’s not impossible to ramp everything up faster,” he told Europe.Table. However, he added that the final say lies with the regulator, ASN. There is also a shortage of qualified workers, he added. After being neglected for a long time, the nuclear sector has now become a strategic priority for the government due to the energy crisis, he said.
For two years now, the industry is trying to alleviate critical staff shortages, especially among welders. So the situation is not quite as severe as is often portrayed, says Mazzucchi. But the energy expert sees a problem if March should be very cold. Because then the supplies, especially gas, could be exhausted.
Roland Desbordes, a physicist with the independent nuclear research commission CRIIRAD, warns, “A lot of expertise has been lost in the past 10 to 20 years. Many experts have retired.” Because of safety regulations and radiation, specialists are also only allowed to work at nuclear power plants for a limited time. EDF had already pointed out this problem.
Debordes explains that the situation is particularly unclear for the reactors affected by corrosion. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. He is not sure if EDF’s calendar can be met: “In the press releases, EDF always shows confidence. I’m less optimistic.” At least one problem seems already solved for EDF: Due to drought and overheating of the rivers, there were stoppages during the hot summer weeks. According to Desbordes, however, that accounted for only a few percent of capacity.
Yves Marignac, an advisor for the nuclear and energy sector at the energy transition association négaWatt, described the program as “not realistic.” It intends to bring forward restarts not scheduled until later in 2023. In many cases, the power plants are outdated, leading to more delays and deviations from the schedule, Marignac said.
Nicolas Goldberg, an energy expert at consultancy Colombus Consulting, takes a dubious view of the announcement: “When we’re told that all reactors will be back up for the winter, it doesn’t mean they’ll all be working at the same time.” According to the transmission system operator RTE EDF, 54 percent of capacity should be reached in mid-October, over 80 percent in mid-December, and around 90 percent in January. But capacity will be limited again in February when about ten reactors should be shut down for maintenance. But Goldberg finds even that “optimistic.”
The problems for EDF are likely to continue after this winter. The utility presented its outlook for 2024 a few days ago. EDF estimates that its nuclear power production through 2024 will not be at the level it reached before 2019 when the major maintenance program was launched. Electricity production from France’s nuclear plants is expected to reach only the lower end of the 280 billion to 300 billion terawatt-hour range this year, it said.
Next year, it is expected to rise to 300 to 330 terawatt hours, and EDF forecasts 315 to 345 terawatt hours for 2024. Construction sites are still expected to have an impact in 2024. The reason is the maintenance program and also the discovered corrosion. However, the situation should then slowly improve.
At the end of November, the Commission will present its proposal for carbon fleet regulation for trucks. Certainly, fossil fuel consumption will have to fall drastically for commercial vehicles starting in 2030. Likely, the Commission will also propose an end date for internal combustion trucks. 2040 is under discussion.
These are the technologies considered for the transformation to carbon-free power units.
Series production has begun. Lithium-ion batteries, known from passenger cars, are in use. Daimlertruck, for example, has been producing the E-Actros for distribution transport in metropolitan regions at its main plant in Wörth since the end of 2021. A special truck for waste disposal is also on offer. Unit numbers are manageable, in the three-digit range in 2022, and the price is around three times that of a diesel truck. Possible are ranges of up to 400 kilometers. Daimlertruck is showing the first eActros at the IAA as a semitrailer truck (Long Haul) weighing up to 40 tons. The truck is expected to be in series production in 2024 and has a range of up to 500 kilometers. Whether Traton (Scania, MAN, VW), Volvo, DAF, or Iveco – all truck manufacturers already have either battery-electric trucks on offer or have announced them.
With liquid hydrogen, electrical energy is generated in a fuel cell to power the vehicle. Trucks with fuel cells will primarily serve long-distance routes. The first vehicles are on the market. Mercedes and Volvo have set up a joint venture, Cellcentric, to bring trucks with fuel cells to series production. Several €100 million in research funding are flowing into the project. Prototypes have been presented. At the IAA, the Daimlertruck fuel cell truck is ready for test drives. Daimlertruck aims to have the technology ready for series production in the second half of the decade.
The VW Group with the brands bundled in the Traton holding company has not yet declared its support for fuel cells. Iveco and the US manufacturer Nikola also offer models. Fuel cell technology is considered very challenging for engineers. The fuel cell requires liquid hydrogen with almost 100 percent purity. This places high demands on the tank infrastructure. The costs are very high. In addition, operation under demanding conditions is considered very difficult: high vibration, dust, heat, and full-load driving for long periods.
The hydrogen engine is currently considered the secret favorite among alternative drive systems. Virtually all manufacturers are experimenting with the technology, which involves burning hydrogen in engines based on diesel technology. The only problem is that very few of them are committed to it. Emissions are reduced to almost nothing with this technology. The exhaust gas is water. The list of members in the Hydrogen Engine Alliance shows that many well-known companies are interested in the technology: Members include MAN, Daimlertruck, Deutz, Bosch, Isuzu and Cummins. The US engine manufacturer Cummins will present the first prototype for a truck with a hydrogen engine at the IAA. It is a ready-to-drive vehicle with a refueling system based on Daimlertruck’s Atego. Daimlertruck and other well-known manufacturers who are members of the alliance are holding back on making a public commitment to the hydrogen engine.
Challenges for engineers include the technology for injection, material suitability, and the refueling system. Thomas Koch, CEO of the Hydrogen Engine Alliance, says, “I expect the industry to be able to build a first small series in 2025.” He says, there could be the first large-scale production about one to two years later. It remains to be seen how EU regulation will treat the hydrogen engine. It is questionable, whether vehicles with the technology will be counted in the carbon fleet regulation with a carbon value of zero grams. It is conceivable that this will be impossible and only sales will be permitted.
Synthetic fuels (e-fuels) and hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVO) could also be used. The carbon balance is close to zero. Today, for example, the entire Daimler truck fleet is already approved for operation with HVO. However, in Germany, HVO is only permitted for blending. Across the EU, around 150 million metric tons of diesel are used each year for cars and trucks. It is expected that eleven million tons of HVO could be produced throughout the EU by 2025. E-fuels and HVO are seen as a way to decarbonize the existing vehicles. However, it remains to be seen whether the EU Commission will abandon its previous rejection of e-fuels for trucks in private transport.
Crises and their impact on global supply chains, the war in Ukraine, and climate change are leaving their mark on the value chains of the basic materials industry. Access to raw material markets is crucial for our future, but so is the know-how to process them. European demand for non-ferrous (NF) metals will multiply by 2050, precisely because of the Green Deal and advancing digitalization.
The EU Commission has recognized the importance of a reliable and sustainable supply of raw materials. In her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a European raw materials law.
The war in Ukraine has once again shown that dependencies on various raw materials without diversification can lead to significant problems in supply chains. New cooperations with reliable international partners should thus be initiated to secure raw materials while maintaining high environmental and social standards. Important are trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia.
In this context, the EU Commission is preparing a Critical Raw Materials Act, modeled on the EU Batteries Alliance and the EU Chips Act. The Critical Raw Materials Act is intended to establish criteria for identifying raw materials that are of particular strategic importance to our transformation and defense needs, including economic importance, supply concentration, strategic applications, and projected supply gaps.
In addition, more resilient supply chains are to be built by supporting projects and encouraging more private investment from mining to refining, processing, and recycling. The highest social and environmental (ESG) standards are to be ensured. Establishing a level playing field is essential for strategic storage capacity and also for the extraction of secondary feedstocks, in our view.
In April 2022, the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) calculated the additional nonferrous metal demand triggered by the Green Deal in a study. It was taken into account that nonferrous metals play a crucial role in the investments required by the Green Deal in innovative energy generation technologies (solar plants, wind power, hydro power) and in new products (electrification of automobiles, new batteries). These technologies tend to be more metal intensive than conventional products and technologies. The additional metal demand to make the European energy supply less dependent on Russian energy imports has not yet been considered in the study.
The study calculates that by 2050, the Green Deal alone will increase demand for aluminum by 33 percent, copper by 35 percent, zinc by 11 percent, nickel by 103 percent, cobalt by 331 percent, and lithium by as much as 3535 percent. For the base metals aluminum, copper and zinc, the increased demand can still only be partially met (45 – 65 percent) by higher recycling efforts.
The remainder must be absorbed by higher mine production because metals are mostly tied up in applications for the long term and only gradually reach the recycling stage. In addition, a significant proportion of metal scrap is sent abroad and is no longer available for the European metal supply. Compared to other materials, nonferrous metals are nevertheless far ahead in terms of recycling: the recyclate content of every ton of nonferrous metal produced in Germany is around 50 percent.
European raw material supply must therefore rely on several pillars for the time being: More imports of primary and secondary raw materials from countries with sustainable standards, more domestic mine production and, above all, more domestic recycling to leverage the remaining recycling potential. For several years, the EU has therefore placed the political focus on its “Circular Economy” initiative on improving the political framework conditions for recycling (e.g. more design for recycling).
In order to strengthen the contribution of secondary raw materials to secure the supply of metallic raw materials in Germany, the German government is entering into a dialogue with the industry, science, and administration based on its raw materials strategy. The dialogue aims to develop concrete measures by 2023 to remove barriers to closing raw material cycles and to further increase the contribution of metallic secondary raw materials to the supply of raw materials. (Read an interview with State Secretary for Economic Affairs Franziska Brantner here).
To this end, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) has commissioned the German RawMaterialsAgency (DERA) to manage the “Dialogue Platform for Recycling Raw Materials“. The Wirtschaftsvereinigung Metalle is involved in the dialogue platform in the Working Group on Metals and is committed to advancing European raw materials policy together with the circular economy.
It took years, but on Sunday the Commission announced a severe penalty against Hungary. Subsidies are to be cut by €7.5 billion – if a majority of member states agree. You can read in the news how Budapest will try to avert the penalty as early as this week.
The party of French President Emmanuel Macron carried out a different kind of reform on the weekend. On Saturday “la République en Marche” became “Renaissance”. At the same time, two small partners joined the new party. The reform is intended to secure the alliance’s future after Macron’s term in office ends in 2027.
The country’s nuclear power plants need a much faster rebirth. But there are doubts about the timetable for the maintenance and repair of the reactors, which are shut down in a row, writes our France correspondent Tanja Kuchenbecker.
Starting tomorrow, the International Motor Show (IAA) will focus on future technologies. My colleague Markus Grabitz provides an outlook on new models of commercial vehicles – from battery-electric trucks to competition for fuel cells: novel hydrogen engines.
Today, commercial vehicles are to prevent traffic chaos in London. The vast majority of heads of state and government will travel by bus to the funeral service for the late Queen Elizabeth II. In the evening, she will arrive at her final resting place at Windsor Castle in a private circle.
The French government is pushing the state-owned utility EDF to restart nuclear reactors in the winter. A realistic goal? Between repair work, inspections, and safety checks, there is a lot of uncertainty about whether the schedule can be met. In recent months, France had to buy massive amounts of additional electricity from other countries, including Germany. “I’m really counting on EDF to ensure its restart program in the coming winter… so that we don’t have to restart a coal-fired power plant,” Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne warned.
However, experts are skeptical about whether the company can achieve this. Most recently, only 24 of 56 reactors were running. EDF had shut down 32, 20 for routine checks, and twelve because of corrosion problems. Currently, 29 reactors are not running, as EDF stated on request. Three of them had a restart in recent weeks. The misery also weighs financially on the now fully nationalized utility: the operating profit (Ebitda) is expected to be burdened by about €29 billion this year, the group explained on Thursday, €5 billion more than previously planned.
The causes: The program to overhaul the reactors was postponed due to the pandemic. Originally, the group had to modernize many of the old reactors between 2019 and 2024. In addition, corrosion was discovered at the end of 2021, EDF has therefore started a control program at twelve reactors.
The shut down nuclear power plants are scheduled to go back online during the winter. The company publishes an updated calendar that dates the planned restarts. Eight reactors more are scheduled to go back online in September. In October, another five, in November another seven, and in December four.
By the end of December, 51 of the 56 reactors could be back on the grid. The remaining five are to be added in January and February. According to EDF, maintenance on 15 reactors has been postponed so they can remain online during the winter. “EDF and the whole industry are mobilized to restart the reactors under safety criteria,” a spokeswoman said. But compared to a list a few days ago, there have already been delays and renewed maintenance needs.
The ambitious program is fraught with many uncertainties. The French Nuclear Safety Authority ASN did not comment on the calendar, saying there was too much “uncertainty.” It is responsible for approving the restart of the affected reactors. This is especially critical for the reactors affected by corrosion. The situation is more manageable for the others, which were only undergoing maintenance. According to the plan, several reactors inspected for corrosion are scheduled for a restart between September and November. Last winter, 17 reactors were inactive, which did not cause power outages. But at that time, Europe was not yet in an energy crisis.
Nicolas Mazzucchi, Research Director at the Navy’s Center for Strategic Studies, thinks the plan is ambitious. “The calendar has been accelerated, so it will be a challenge. But it’s not impossible to ramp everything up faster,” he told Europe.Table. However, he added that the final say lies with the regulator, ASN. There is also a shortage of qualified workers, he added. After being neglected for a long time, the nuclear sector has now become a strategic priority for the government due to the energy crisis, he said.
For two years now, the industry is trying to alleviate critical staff shortages, especially among welders. So the situation is not quite as severe as is often portrayed, says Mazzucchi. But the energy expert sees a problem if March should be very cold. Because then the supplies, especially gas, could be exhausted.
Roland Desbordes, a physicist with the independent nuclear research commission CRIIRAD, warns, “A lot of expertise has been lost in the past 10 to 20 years. Many experts have retired.” Because of safety regulations and radiation, specialists are also only allowed to work at nuclear power plants for a limited time. EDF had already pointed out this problem.
Debordes explains that the situation is particularly unclear for the reactors affected by corrosion. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. He is not sure if EDF’s calendar can be met: “In the press releases, EDF always shows confidence. I’m less optimistic.” At least one problem seems already solved for EDF: Due to drought and overheating of the rivers, there were stoppages during the hot summer weeks. According to Desbordes, however, that accounted for only a few percent of capacity.
Yves Marignac, an advisor for the nuclear and energy sector at the energy transition association négaWatt, described the program as “not realistic.” It intends to bring forward restarts not scheduled until later in 2023. In many cases, the power plants are outdated, leading to more delays and deviations from the schedule, Marignac said.
Nicolas Goldberg, an energy expert at consultancy Colombus Consulting, takes a dubious view of the announcement: “When we’re told that all reactors will be back up for the winter, it doesn’t mean they’ll all be working at the same time.” According to the transmission system operator RTE EDF, 54 percent of capacity should be reached in mid-October, over 80 percent in mid-December, and around 90 percent in January. But capacity will be limited again in February when about ten reactors should be shut down for maintenance. But Goldberg finds even that “optimistic.”
The problems for EDF are likely to continue after this winter. The utility presented its outlook for 2024 a few days ago. EDF estimates that its nuclear power production through 2024 will not be at the level it reached before 2019 when the major maintenance program was launched. Electricity production from France’s nuclear plants is expected to reach only the lower end of the 280 billion to 300 billion terawatt-hour range this year, it said.
Next year, it is expected to rise to 300 to 330 terawatt hours, and EDF forecasts 315 to 345 terawatt hours for 2024. Construction sites are still expected to have an impact in 2024. The reason is the maintenance program and also the discovered corrosion. However, the situation should then slowly improve.
At the end of November, the Commission will present its proposal for carbon fleet regulation for trucks. Certainly, fossil fuel consumption will have to fall drastically for commercial vehicles starting in 2030. Likely, the Commission will also propose an end date for internal combustion trucks. 2040 is under discussion.
These are the technologies considered for the transformation to carbon-free power units.
Series production has begun. Lithium-ion batteries, known from passenger cars, are in use. Daimlertruck, for example, has been producing the E-Actros for distribution transport in metropolitan regions at its main plant in Wörth since the end of 2021. A special truck for waste disposal is also on offer. Unit numbers are manageable, in the three-digit range in 2022, and the price is around three times that of a diesel truck. Possible are ranges of up to 400 kilometers. Daimlertruck is showing the first eActros at the IAA as a semitrailer truck (Long Haul) weighing up to 40 tons. The truck is expected to be in series production in 2024 and has a range of up to 500 kilometers. Whether Traton (Scania, MAN, VW), Volvo, DAF, or Iveco – all truck manufacturers already have either battery-electric trucks on offer or have announced them.
With liquid hydrogen, electrical energy is generated in a fuel cell to power the vehicle. Trucks with fuel cells will primarily serve long-distance routes. The first vehicles are on the market. Mercedes and Volvo have set up a joint venture, Cellcentric, to bring trucks with fuel cells to series production. Several €100 million in research funding are flowing into the project. Prototypes have been presented. At the IAA, the Daimlertruck fuel cell truck is ready for test drives. Daimlertruck aims to have the technology ready for series production in the second half of the decade.
The VW Group with the brands bundled in the Traton holding company has not yet declared its support for fuel cells. Iveco and the US manufacturer Nikola also offer models. Fuel cell technology is considered very challenging for engineers. The fuel cell requires liquid hydrogen with almost 100 percent purity. This places high demands on the tank infrastructure. The costs are very high. In addition, operation under demanding conditions is considered very difficult: high vibration, dust, heat, and full-load driving for long periods.
The hydrogen engine is currently considered the secret favorite among alternative drive systems. Virtually all manufacturers are experimenting with the technology, which involves burning hydrogen in engines based on diesel technology. The only problem is that very few of them are committed to it. Emissions are reduced to almost nothing with this technology. The exhaust gas is water. The list of members in the Hydrogen Engine Alliance shows that many well-known companies are interested in the technology: Members include MAN, Daimlertruck, Deutz, Bosch, Isuzu and Cummins. The US engine manufacturer Cummins will present the first prototype for a truck with a hydrogen engine at the IAA. It is a ready-to-drive vehicle with a refueling system based on Daimlertruck’s Atego. Daimlertruck and other well-known manufacturers who are members of the alliance are holding back on making a public commitment to the hydrogen engine.
Challenges for engineers include the technology for injection, material suitability, and the refueling system. Thomas Koch, CEO of the Hydrogen Engine Alliance, says, “I expect the industry to be able to build a first small series in 2025.” He says, there could be the first large-scale production about one to two years later. It remains to be seen how EU regulation will treat the hydrogen engine. It is questionable, whether vehicles with the technology will be counted in the carbon fleet regulation with a carbon value of zero grams. It is conceivable that this will be impossible and only sales will be permitted.
Synthetic fuels (e-fuels) and hydrogenated vegetable oils (HVO) could also be used. The carbon balance is close to zero. Today, for example, the entire Daimler truck fleet is already approved for operation with HVO. However, in Germany, HVO is only permitted for blending. Across the EU, around 150 million metric tons of diesel are used each year for cars and trucks. It is expected that eleven million tons of HVO could be produced throughout the EU by 2025. E-fuels and HVO are seen as a way to decarbonize the existing vehicles. However, it remains to be seen whether the EU Commission will abandon its previous rejection of e-fuels for trucks in private transport.
Crises and their impact on global supply chains, the war in Ukraine, and climate change are leaving their mark on the value chains of the basic materials industry. Access to raw material markets is crucial for our future, but so is the know-how to process them. European demand for non-ferrous (NF) metals will multiply by 2050, precisely because of the Green Deal and advancing digitalization.
The EU Commission has recognized the importance of a reliable and sustainable supply of raw materials. In her State of the Union speech on Wednesday, Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced a European raw materials law.
The war in Ukraine has once again shown that dependencies on various raw materials without diversification can lead to significant problems in supply chains. New cooperations with reliable international partners should thus be initiated to secure raw materials while maintaining high environmental and social standards. Important are trade agreements with Chile, Mexico, New Zealand, and Australia.
In this context, the EU Commission is preparing a Critical Raw Materials Act, modeled on the EU Batteries Alliance and the EU Chips Act. The Critical Raw Materials Act is intended to establish criteria for identifying raw materials that are of particular strategic importance to our transformation and defense needs, including economic importance, supply concentration, strategic applications, and projected supply gaps.
In addition, more resilient supply chains are to be built by supporting projects and encouraging more private investment from mining to refining, processing, and recycling. The highest social and environmental (ESG) standards are to be ensured. Establishing a level playing field is essential for strategic storage capacity and also for the extraction of secondary feedstocks, in our view.
In April 2022, the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) calculated the additional nonferrous metal demand triggered by the Green Deal in a study. It was taken into account that nonferrous metals play a crucial role in the investments required by the Green Deal in innovative energy generation technologies (solar plants, wind power, hydro power) and in new products (electrification of automobiles, new batteries). These technologies tend to be more metal intensive than conventional products and technologies. The additional metal demand to make the European energy supply less dependent on Russian energy imports has not yet been considered in the study.
The study calculates that by 2050, the Green Deal alone will increase demand for aluminum by 33 percent, copper by 35 percent, zinc by 11 percent, nickel by 103 percent, cobalt by 331 percent, and lithium by as much as 3535 percent. For the base metals aluminum, copper and zinc, the increased demand can still only be partially met (45 – 65 percent) by higher recycling efforts.
The remainder must be absorbed by higher mine production because metals are mostly tied up in applications for the long term and only gradually reach the recycling stage. In addition, a significant proportion of metal scrap is sent abroad and is no longer available for the European metal supply. Compared to other materials, nonferrous metals are nevertheless far ahead in terms of recycling: the recyclate content of every ton of nonferrous metal produced in Germany is around 50 percent.
European raw material supply must therefore rely on several pillars for the time being: More imports of primary and secondary raw materials from countries with sustainable standards, more domestic mine production and, above all, more domestic recycling to leverage the remaining recycling potential. For several years, the EU has therefore placed the political focus on its “Circular Economy” initiative on improving the political framework conditions for recycling (e.g. more design for recycling).
In order to strengthen the contribution of secondary raw materials to secure the supply of metallic raw materials in Germany, the German government is entering into a dialogue with the industry, science, and administration based on its raw materials strategy. The dialogue aims to develop concrete measures by 2023 to remove barriers to closing raw material cycles and to further increase the contribution of metallic secondary raw materials to the supply of raw materials. (Read an interview with State Secretary for Economic Affairs Franziska Brantner here).
To this end, the German Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) has commissioned the German RawMaterialsAgency (DERA) to manage the “Dialogue Platform for Recycling Raw Materials“. The Wirtschaftsvereinigung Metalle is involved in the dialogue platform in the Working Group on Metals and is committed to advancing European raw materials policy together with the circular economy.
