How does an entrepreneur reach the limit?

Brussels, Berlin You can’t tell from the white flakes that Gotze Kroner produces in Ibbenborn how much energy it takes to make it. Kröner produces starch from grains. His company consumes a lot of electricity and has already switched to green electricity. But it also consumes a lot of heat.

Because the starch comes out of the machine dissolved in the water and then must be dried. To this end, Kröner operates his own coal-fired power plant, in which he invested ten million euros twelve years ago. At that time coal was cheap and considered crisis-resistant, and now it is a burden on the balance sheet.

The example shows how political demands can push companies to their limits – not just a few years from now, when EU climate laws come into force, but now. Many companies that produce their own heat face the same questions as Kröner’s strength.