The rise in oil and natural gas is pressuring the most energy-intensive sectors, particularly ceramics and crystal, which fears company closures given the current crisis. These companies' margins are being crushed by Asian competition, especially from China and India, making it impossible to raise prices to offset the escalation in energy costs. Paulo Almeida, vice-president of Apicer, warns that, given the oversupply in the market, the possibilities of passing on energy cost increases are very limited, fearing that some companies may not have the margin to survive.
The ceramics and crystal sector has been facing elevated natural gas prices for more than six months, which have risen from around 32 to 73-75 euros/MWh. Initially, the sector believed it could only withstand about four weeks of high prices, but the situation threatens to become structural. The measures presented by the Government are considered insufficient, since the support is mostly credit lines, which will worsen the treasury problems of companies that are predominantly small and medium-sized.
The Association of Packaging Glass Industries (AIVE), represented by its general secretary Beatriz Freitas, supports Apicer's requests, although recognizing that the situation in packaging glass is less severe than in ceramics. AIVE believes that financing does not solve the problem and requests specific support, not representing an increase in indebtedness. The association announced it will send a letter to the Ministry of Economy and advocates for the recovery of the former "Support Gas" model, which made 190 million euros available to support the sectors most dependent on natural gas, with support of up to 500,000 euros per company.
According to INE data from 2024, the glass and ceramics industry employs more than 25,000 people in Portugal. Beatriz Freitas warns that, although the sector does not want to be alarmist, there is a limit to competitiveness, and if costs continue to rise, packaging glass may lose competitiveness relative to plastic and cans. With three quarters of glass production destined for the external market, the impacts for the Portuguese economy will be immediate.
