The ceramic and glass industry put the furnaces to sleep

It is expected that the first natural gas and then the power cut decisions for the industry will have an impact on the production and export plans of the companies. ÇCSİB President Erdem Çenesiz evaluated the difficulties that the cement, glass, and ceramics industry will face in case of a prolonged natural gas restriction since there are furnaces producing material by using natural gas 24/7. In his assessment of the impact of the cuts across the industry, Çenesiz said that ceramics and glass are not among the industries that are sensitive to energy cuts and to be excluded. Emphasizing that the kilns in the ceramic and glass industry operate 24/7, Çenesiz said that the industries put their kilns to sleep due to gross cost increases. Çenesiz continued his speech as follows: "They did not close the ovens completely, but they reduced their gas consumption below the targeted 40 percent. This, of course, means a low level of gas consumption but not being able to produce it. Producers will bear this sacrifice for 10 days, but if this problem is not resolved after 10 days, it will be a huge problem for us. If you turn off these furnaces even for one day, it may take 10–15 days, sometimes even one month, for them to be put back into operation. If this interruption continues for more than 10 days, it is essential to include the ceramic and glass industries among the exempted sectors.

Production and export loss rates across the industry

Çenesiz made predictions about the decrease in production due to energy restrictions and the estimated export losses to be experienced in January. Saying that if the restrictions in the ceramic industry last for 10 days, there will be a daily production loss of 35-45 percent, Çenesiz explained that there may be export losses of 25 to 27 million dollars until the end of January. In the same way, Erdem Çenesiz predicted that the glass industry may experience a production loss of 40-50 percent and an export loss of between 24 and 26 billion dollars. Expressing that if the power cut lasts for 10 days, the daily production loss in the cement industry could rise to around 40 percent, Çenesiz stated that the export loss could be between 16 and 18 million dollars.