Brandenburg's economy in crisis: Minister calls for electricity price reductions!

Brandenburg's economy in crisis: Minister calls for electricity price reductions!

Brandenburg's Economics Minister Daniel Keller (SPD) emphasized the need for more relief for the economy in a current state parliament session on July 16, 2025. In view of the economic challenges, he urgently calls for lower electricity prices to ensure an affordable energy supply. Keller criticized that the current relief from electricity taxes is not enough, especially not for small and medium-sized companies that are suffering greatly from the current crisis. Examples of this difficult situation include short-time work at the Riva steelworks in Hennigsdorf and the insolvency of the Brandenburg glass factory in Tschernitz.

A central point of the debate was the future of the PCK refinery in Schwedt/Oder, which supplies northeastern Germany and Berlin with important fuels. Minister Keller emphasized the importance of secure jobs at this refinery and described a decision on the future ownership structure as necessary. Uncertainty about the PCK refinery remains, especially since Germany stopped using Russian pipeline oil since the beginning of 2023 and the refinery is now looking for alternative oil supplies. The federal government has also taken control of the German subsidiaries of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft and their shares in PCK.

PCK Refinery: Stability and Transformation

Despite the tense situation, the PCK refinery achieved stable operating performance last year, processing 9.3 million tons of crude oil, which corresponds to a utilization rate of 79 percent. This means that the refinery was able to continue to reliably supply fuel to Brandenburg and Berlin, although capacity utilization was reduced. Since Russian crude oil purchases were stopped due to the war in Ukraine, the PCK refinery has been processing 25 different types of crude oil. Around two thirds of the required amount of crude oil now arrives by tanker via the Rostock seaport.

However, uncertainty about the future stability of the refinery remains. In the background, those responsible are waiting for a decision on federal funding of around 400 million euros, which has been promised for a year and a half. In addition, the expansion of the pipeline from Rostock to Schwedt is considered necessary. Brandenburg State Secretary Friederike Haase emphasized the support for Schwedt from the EU's Just Transition Fund.

Political disputes and future prospects

In the political debate, AfD parliamentary group leader Hans-Christoph Berndt criticized the ongoing transformation of the PCK refinery into a more environmentally friendly plant and called for a return to nuclear power. SPD economic politician Marcel Penquitt replied that the AfD did not offer any solutions for nuclear waste storage. CDU parliamentary group leader Jan Redmann called for a “Tesla turbo” for all companies in the region, while BSW MP Stefan Roth viewed the sanctions against Russia and the stop to Russian oil purchases as harmful.

The situation at the PCK refinery and the associated political debates reflect the complex challenges facing Brandenburg in terms of energy supply and economic stability. Developments in the coming months will be crucial for the future of the refinery and the entire region.

For more information on these topics, see the report from Daily Mirror and rbb24.