Construction alliance raises emissions fears

The Alliance of Energy Intensive Industries has called on EU leaders to ensure that 2030 energy emissions and climate targets offer clarity for the construction industry.

Cement organisation Cembureau is among the joint group warning that a failure to provide guidance on measurements within European frameworks on environmental targets could lead to firms having to pass on costs to customers totalling hundreds of millions of Euros in increased energy prices.

According to the industry alliance, between 2021 and 2030, present policy on environmental legislation is set to expire – leaving industry in an uncertain position.

The group’s open letter to heads of state in Europe said that the alliance’s combined industry bodies, which represent four million direct jobs and 30 million in manufacturing chains, expressed an urgent need for improving the EU frameworks.

It read, "Current carbon leakage provisions (which affect companies switching production to countries with differing controls on environmental emissions) under the EU Emissions Trading Directive, if not revised rapidly, will result in a huge shortage in free allowances and increasing direct and indirect costs (the passing on of carbon costs into power prices) for even the most efficient installations in Europe.”

The energy alliance also highlighted European Parliament guidance that had stressed the need for industry environmental performance targets that were “technically and economically feasible.”

It called on the European Council to offer guidance at its summit on 23 October confirming that existing carbon leakage measures are kept in place beyond 2020.