Question Author
@svejk
By the ecoloons reference, I take it you refer to the cost imposition of stuff like cleaning up gaseous emissions, wastewater treatment, carbon footprint and everything up to and including land remediation after they level an old plant?
I also recently learned (TV news) that our steel mills are stuck with the kind of electricity prices which were fixed at a level to keep nuclear power afloat. The Chinese can just erect a new coal plant every week and smelt far more cheaply.
Note: aluminium ore smelting eats electricity but steel furnaces are heated by coke, I thought. I am scratching my head as to what difference electricity costs would make to steel manufacture, unless it's the hammers, presses, rollers and the rest which are run on motors.
However, we, unquestionably, cannot compete on wages, if the playing field was level in all other respects.