Since the start of the Ukraine war there have been discussions about a refinery in Brandenburg. Now a working group is thinking about the future of the Schwedt site.

A working group from the federal and state governments started consultations on the future of the Schwedt refinery site on Monday.

After the opening meeting of a project group, Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Michael Kellner explained that it was taking revenge that a Russian energy company had had such a strong influence on the supply situation in recent years. “That’s why we have to fight here together and with all our might for a future for the site without Russian oil.”

The PCK refinery in Schwedt is majority owned by the German subsidiary of the Russian state-owned company Rosneft and primarily processes Russian oil from the Druzhba pipeline.

A federal and state project group is to develop sustainable solutions for the site and its employees. Several federal ministries are represented in the group, as well as the states of Brandenburg and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania.

Waiter sees an opportunity for the future

At the same time, according to the Federal Ministry of Economics, current issues relating to continued existence and security of supply with regard to the switch away from Russian oil for the PCK refinery were also discussed.

Waiter said: “I know that this means an effort for the Schwedt location and its employees. At the same time, it is also an opportunity to position yourself for the future. Because it is clear that the farewell to fossil raw materials is getting closer anyway. If we do it wisely, that can be an opportunity for the location.” There are promising ideas, for example with a view to hydrogen, sustainable kerosene or the bioeconomy, with which value can also be added at the location in the future and jobs can be made future-proof.