‘Just worry upon worry’: Europe faces a bleak winter as supply shock pushes factories to the brink

From Shropshire to Hamburg, depleting reserves and spiralling costs are spawning a continent-wide energy crisis

Bridgnorth Aluminium has faced down Brexit, Covid and repeated energy shocks in recent years. But this winter is bringing extra “stress and pressure”, says its head of sales, Adrian Musgrave.

Musgrave’s company makes rolled aluminium, used in packaging, construction and the manufacture of items such as cars and batteries. Like many stretched industrial businesses across Europe, Bridgnorth Aluminium faces a looming threat of soaring energy bills, which Musgrave describes as “just worry upon worry”.