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Because hydrochloric acid is missing : The energy crisis also threatens our drinking water

There is a lack of hydrochloric acid for purifying water. High energy prices and disruptions in the supply chain are to blame. If things continue like this, even drinking water is at risk, chemical companies warn.

The energy crisis and faltering supply chains could threaten Germany's water supply. The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI), whose companies supply key products for cleaning and treating drinking water and wastewater, warns of this. "Municipal utilities have their backs to the wall, not only because of pricing, but also because of the low availability of basic chemicals," new VCI President Markus Steilemann said Monday in Berlin.

Under normal conditions, these chemicals would be produced in Germany, but because of high energy prices and compromised supply chains, there are now threatening shortages, he said. For example, there is a shortage of hydrochloric acid dissolved in water for wastewater treatment. As a result, he said, individual authorities have already suspended environmental regulations for the short term: "This means higher phosphate levels in wastewater are tolerated, so you can discharge higher phosphate levels into waterways."

As yet, the grievance primarily affects wastewater, Steilemann said. "But if the supply bottlenecks continue to develop as dramatically as they are at the moment, it is foreseeable that the problem will spill over into the fresh water supply. Then drinking water quality can no longer be guaranteed, or at least there will be drinking water restrictions." In Germany, Steilemann warned, many people don't realize the seriousness of the situation when supply chains no longer function: "It's really the case that in the meantime, due to high energy prices and the collapse of local value chains, certain supplies are at risk for the population."

The VCI president, who is CEO of plastics manufacturer Covestro, called for the German government to tackle the energy crisis much faster and more effectively than it has so far. He said that the chemical industry is dominated by medium-sized companies, with 1700 of the 1900 member companies falling into this category. Among these companies, he said, the need is currently great. "The situation of the energy-intensive chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Germany is more dramatic than ever before." For decades, he said, there have not been as many concerned calls to VCI headquarters in Frankfurt as there are at present. "I expect that we are facing a wave of insolvencies, but it is still unclear when it will come and how big it will be."

He added that the German government has announced many support programs, including the electricity and gas price brakes. However, there is a great danger that the aid for industry will come too late and be watered down. As an example, Steilemann cited the idea of prohibiting companies that use the brakes from paying bonuses and dividends. Among the necessary investors abroad, especially in the USA, this requirement would meet with complete incomprehension.

The manager demanded that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) put his foot down and immediately introduce the gas price brake as proposed by the Gas Commission. This also included renegotiations with the EU Commission on the obstructive state aid provisions of the Temporary Crisis Framework (TCF). "Our companies need relief now, before it's too late, and they need it without cutbacks and without rampant bureaucracy."
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