«The fear is great. Not to sleep in it at night ». Michel Elias, director of Casar, the largest tomato processing company on the island, enters the shoes of any entrepreneur who has been experiencing the tragedy of high energy in recent months. “Many may be forced to stop soon, but certainly no one will want to go that far. For us, the harvest season has just begun and the bills will arrive in September, but we almost certainly expect a blow that will force us to revolutionize all the planning for next year, review the sales prices and the strategies to stay on the market " . The manager is unable to hide his pessimism: "I don't know how long we will be able to resist in these conditions, but it is unthinkable that in a modern country like ours the survival of companies that from one month to the next find themselves overwhelmed by price increases will not be guaranteed" .
Nobody excluded
The surge in gas and electricity prices is shaking the legs of all companies, even the most solid. Michela Contu, administrator of a meat processing company active in the Cagliari hinterland with dozens of employees and eight-figure turnover, knows something about it: "The July bill was close to 50 thousand euros, against the 13 thousand we are usually used to . A sting received despite all efforts to reduce consumption. We thus live in a limbo in which it is difficult to find solutions. There is no need to change supplier, because the price lists are similar, nor to hope for one-off government measures that do not meet our expectations. Instead, we need structural and concrete measures because the current situation is an unsustainable situation and we will not be able to amortize the increase in costs for a long time without having to quickly adjust consumer prices, or downsize investments and staff. At stake are the destinies of families who would need immediate answers, without waiting for the end of the electoral campaign and the formation of a new government. We need to act immediately, because every day that passes is a lost day ».
Hopes flared
The specter of bills looms over all sectors, even those apparently less "thirsty" for energy. Walter Mureddu, head of one of the most important cooperatives in the Oristano area, active in the production of meat, fruit and vegetables, vents all his discomfort: "Going from 5 thousand to 18 thousand euros in bills means putting into account hundreds of thousands of euro per year of extra costs. Under these conditions you can survive for a short time ».
