Schwedt is fighting for the future: refinery in the crisis and new opportunities!

Schwedt is fighting for the future: refinery in the crisis and new opportunities!

Schwedt, Brandenburg, Deutschland - in Schwedt, Brandenburg, the location is tense. The city, which was once considered a stronghold of the SPD, is on the crossroads. Since the ban on importing Russian oil via the Druschba pipeline from 2023, the PCK refinery, the economic heart of the region, has had massive problems. According to Coolis.de , the number of refinery is sometimes less than 80%, while the costs remain 100%. The inadequate capacity of the pipeline from the Rostock port is identified as the main reason for the economic difficulties. Friss or die - that's how the motto seems to be.

The falling tax revenues are also worrying. The city faces financial bottlenecks, which means that planned renovations had to be canceled. The dissatisfaction of the population is also reflected in politics: in the last federal election, the AfD and the BSW reached more than half of the votes in Schwedt. Many citizens feel abandoned by the political promises. If the SPD used to be the dominant force, confidence in the established parties has decreased.

transformation process stalls

The green transformation of the PCK refinery seems to have stalled. Perhaps it is the pressure of the oil embargo against Russia or the unclear owners' situation-the reasons for this are varied. Managing Director Ralf Schairer emphasizes that the current regulatory environment for economic strategies, especially for the planned commissioning of a green hydrogen system, does not offer positive incentives. This is delicate, because the aim of the refinery is to say goodbye to fossil fuels by 2045 and to develop into a "hydrogen hinge". Planned investments in billions in billions must now be tackled quickly in order not to suffer any further setbacks, such as rbb24.de

The federal government has extended the trust administration for the Russian majority owner Rosneft by September 10, but stagnate sales negotiations and this makes it difficult to continue planning. Mayor Annekathrin Hoppe calls for an end to the oil embargo to ensure economic stability. While she condemns the war of attack against Ukraine, the need for a safe operation of the refinery remains unmistakable. In Schwedt, however, there are also bright spots: approximately 50 companies have applied for the "startup laboratory" that wants to develop innovative technologies in green chemistry and biorohrodes.

hope for the future

The planned establishment of a transformation center (transformer) on the old bus station, funded with 18 million euros from the EU, is another step in the right direction. According to Coolis.de hopes Schwedt to avert the exodus of young people through new technologies and local initiatives.

In a larger context, the question of the energy transition in Germany also arises. The plans to be climate -neutral by 2045 require extensive transformations. The expansion of renewable energies is running, but remains behind the goals. Experts draw attention to the urgency, especially with regard to wind and water current capacities. All of this contributes to uncertainty and makes it clear that the climate goals can only be achieved with a real turn to renewable energies, so Deutschland-mit-echter-energende-ein-oekologischer-und-oeconomischer-erfolg.html"> Wirtschaftsdienst.eu.

Schwedt is not only an example of the difficulties of structural change, but also for the challenges that all of Germany still has to master when implementing the energy transition. It remains to be seen whether the city succeeds in dealing with this change - the signs are changeable.