The energy crisis in Europe is having a strong impact on the industrial sector. Europe’s largest aluminum plant, the French smelter in Dunkerque, also announced a 20% cut in production due to high electricity prices. Spain is facing a very different situation, as it currently lacks an active primary aluminum plant after the temporary closure of the Alcoa plant in San Cibrao.

Dunkerque, France’s largest aluminum manufacturer, is taking responsibility for the cutbacks occurring within the European industrial sector. These cuts are due to the electricity crisis facing Europe, which means that Spain has no active factories producing aluminum after Alcoa’s shutdown precisely because of the large electricity bills.

According to the French aluminum smelter’s CEO, Guillaume de Goys, the cuts will be completed by the end of October. The Gallic smelter belongs to the American group American Industrial Partners, which took control after a battle with its previous owner, the British magnate Sanjeev Gupta, who unsuccessfully sought Alcoa’s assets in Galicia.

European aluminum production has already fallen to the lowest levels since the 1970s, mainly due to the astronomical energy prices that hit all sectors of the economy.