The top executive says the tire manufacturer is prepared to run factories on oil and coal
Energy-intensive businesses in France are currently preparing for possible power outages in the event of further reductions of natural gas supplies from Russia, says the CEO of Michelin, Florent Menegaux.
“What we’ve done is we’ve converted our boilers, so they’re capable of running on gas or oil, and we can even switch to coal if we need to,” Menegaux told Reuters on the sidelines of a business and economics conference in southern France over the weekend.
The country’s industrial majors have been pressing ahead with contingency plans to avoid disruptions amid grim warnings of a possible stoppage of Russian gas deliveries that are repeatedly issued by some EU leaders.
“The aim is to avoid having to shut down a plant in case we face a shortage,” he added, saying that while a gas cuts were likely, oil would still be available as an alternative.
According to Menegaux, it usually takes days to start tire production on a manufacturing line, making it vital to maintain a steady energy supply.