Following the 2012 budget statement made by UK finance minister George Osborne, Karl-Ulrich Köhler, CEO of Tata Steel Europe, has welcomed measures to ease administrative costs associated with climate reduction commitments, while stating that further adjustments regarding unilateral energy costs are required.
Mr. Köhler indicated that Tata Steel, as well as other energy-intensive companies in the UK, are already paying much more for electricity than continental European competitors. Köhler said "it is vital that the government takes early action to reverse the growth in this competitive gap by re-establishing a level playing field in European electricity prices".
He also reiterated his concern regarding "the unilateral imposition of the carbon price floor will inflict on the competitiveness of UK manufacturers". He suggested the one third increase in the carbon price support rates to be introduced by the government in 2014-15 will add to the costs of industry in the UK compared with the rest of Europe.