News

Meeting with Environment Minister Anja Siegesmund on 10.12.2015

Minister Siegesmund of the Thuringian Ministry of Environment, Energy and Nature Protection visited Stahlwerk Thüringen GmbH accompanied by various experts of her Ministry. The visit focused on the main issues such as environmental protection and resource efficiency in the heavy industry.

The managing director of FEhS – Institut für Baustoff-Forschung e.V. (Building Materials Institute) also attended this meeting. This institute monitors and tests industrial by-products and researches opportunities for utilising ferrous slag and smelting works residues.

The visit started with a company tour. Representatives of the management board explained the production plant and processes of the steel plant and rolling mill.

In the subsequent round of talks the following issues have been discussed:

  • Substitute Building Material Act and the use of substitute building materials (especially electric furnace slag) in Thuringia
  • Results and perspectives for the „Thuringian Recycling Initiative for mineral waste material“
  • Energy (EEG – German Renewable Energy Act, network charges)
  • CO2 emissions trading in Europe and Thuringia
  • Energy and climate strategy
  • „Water extraction levy“ for the use of ground and surface water
  • Functional reform to reorganise the structures under administrative law for approval procedures and monitoring tasks

The Environment Minister Siegesmund told the newspaper “Ostthüringer Zeitung” that she got the impression that political support is needed since the energy costs are a significant competitive disadvantage for Stahlwerk Thüringen.