With the majority of the red-black-green coalition, the Brandenburg state parliament has rejected proposals by the opposition parties Linke and AfD on the future of the oil refinery in Schwedt.
In their application, the left had demanded, among other things, that the state, together with the federal government, work to ensure that the refinery is transferred to state trusteeship as quickly as possible with an employment guarantee for PCK employees.
“I don’t have any easy solutions here either. But I say that in this process that we are in right now, we have to give securities and guarantees,” said Left Party leader Sebastian Walter.
In its application, the AfD called on the state government to support the continued and unrestricted operation of the Schwedt refinery, the continued supply of the plant via the “Druschba” pipeline coming from Russia and the exemption of the five new federal states from an embargo. AfD faction leader Hans-Christoph Berndt suggested that the Greens should use the conflict to switch to renewable energies.
Economics Minister Jörg Steinbach (SPD) replied that there were arrangements for the refinery to process 70 percent of oil deliveries via Gdansk and Rostock – instead of via the “Druschba” pipeline. Tankers have been chartered for a possible supply of other oil. You know where the oil will come from and how you can mix it so that it can be processed in Schwedt.
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The differences to a 100 percent operation would be compensated financially by the federal government. “These funds will come from the federal government,” said Steinbach. That is then also an indirect employment guarantee. The East Commissioner Carsten Schneider (SPD) have promised him funds for the technical transformation process in Schwedt.
The conversion to a refinery 2.0 with the production of synthetic fuels, for example, would take up to eight years, Steinbach continued. During this time, oil is produced in the Schwedt refinery. There will be no business interruption. (dpa)
