Even if the Change Is Challenging and Costly, It Is the Right Way To Go, Ask Jan Czudek
42 POSITIV 3/2020
BUSINESS
How do you see the ambition of the EU in low-
carbon economics? Is the new European strategy
feasible?
It is ambitious, no doubt. Brussels quite easily sets
great goals although general European agreement
is not that easy. To achieve zero carbon emissions in
an industrial enterprise which has grown upon coal
energy is impossible with current technologies. It is
obvious that the thirty years to come will bring much
innovation in clean energy and new alternatives for
fossil fuels will be sought, yet it will not be easy and
it will be very expensive, too. The Czech Republic
has limited potential in power plants using renewable
resources. We have no shores to make use of the wind,
no high mountains to use the energy of running water,
we do not have enough sunny days to make full use of
photovoltaic power plants. For many years, our power
mix will still depend on coal, gas, and the atom, but, step
by step, clean energies will gain in importance.
Do you commit to the changeover to a low-carbon
economy? Among others, I mean the Initiative of
Industrialists of the Moravian-Silesian Region.
Yes, that is right. We and the other seven greatest
industrial companies of the Moravian-Silesian Region
came to this agreement. We represent companies with
a total annual turnover of over 123 billion CZK, and with
over 26,000 employees.