Europe is losing and will continue to lose competitiveness and jobs if it doesn’t tackle its high energy costs compared to other regions, Morten Wierod, chief executive of Switzerland-based engineering giant ABB, told Bloomberg. “The cost for energy intense industries like chemical, steel production, cement is a challenge, and investments will go elsewhere than Europe if this continues,” Wierod told Bloomberg in an interview published on Tuesday.
“Urgent measures are needed to improve Thyssenkrupp Steel's own productivity and operating efficiency, and to achieve a competitive cost level,” the German industrial giant said. As Europe is bracing for the winter, wholesale electricity prices have jumped in November to the highest level in 20 months, additionally burdening the key industries in major economies that had just started to recover from the 2022 energy crisis.