Business
The sharp rise in gas and electricity prices is currently a particular burden for large, energy-intensive companies, as the electricity bills are now enormous costs. This affects, among other things, companies in the health sector and production.
The Plansee company in the Ausserfern region bought gas in advance and is therefore not directly affected by the sharp rise in energy prices. In the company, as in other companies, it is assumed that energy prices will remain high. “In the medium to long term, we see increases in energy prices of between 50 and 100 percent,” says Board Member Karlheinz Wex.
General inflation is also a problem
In addition, inflation also has an impact on this company. Wex explains that one is currently confronted with the fact that the price increases can only be passed on to customers with a time lag.
The gas is used at Plansee for hydrogen production in order to operate the hydrogen production machines. If energy prices remained consistently high, converting from gas to electricity would not be an option for this company, as the conversion process would take around four years, says Wex.
Also clinic has high power consumption and high cost
At the Innsbruck clinic, electricity costs are expected to be around 35 million euros in the coming year, which would triple the energy costs, explains department head Alois Radelsböck. Energy has become a precious commodity. That’s why they insist on more support from the federal government, says Radelsböck. The gas supply at the clinic is currently secured. “The tanks are completely full,” says the head of department at the tirol kliniken.
Pharmaceutical companies also need a lot of electricity
At the pharmaceutical company Novartis in Kundl, too, the price increases for energy account for large sums. The managing director assumes that energy costs might increase tenfold in the coming year. “We expect energy costs for gas and electricity to be around 100 to 150 million euros. This is of course a huge problem,” says Managing Director Mario Riesner.
