Overview
- At the Chemiegipfel in Böhlen, employers and unions handed federal envoy Elisabeth Kaiser a five-point plan calling for an immediate crisis roadmap.
- The proposals focus on shoring up value chains, securing competitive energy, aligning climate policy with industry viability, and cutting bureaucracy with faster permits.
- Industry groups report capacity use at about 70 percent, production at a 30-year low, orders roughly 20 percent below 2021, and more than 63,000 jobs at risk.
- Dow plans to close parts of its Schkopau and Böhlen sites by end-2027, and the Böhlen steamcracker’s potential shutdown is seen as a trigger for regional domino effects.
- Recent reporting indicates investor talks to keep the Böhlen cracker running have collapsed, while the government cites existing tax and energy relief and points to transformation working groups starting in January.