The EEG surcharge is no longer passed on to electricity customers. Federal Minister of Economics Habeck sees this as an important step towards relieving consumers. But the Federal Association of Energy and Water Management is certain that there will be no "turnaround" in price development.
The Federal Association of Energy and Water Industries (BDEW) expects energy prices to continue to rise despite the abolition of the EEG surcharge. "In the past year and a half there was only one direction for wholesale electricity prices: up," said BDEW General Manager Kerstin Andreae to the newspapers of the editorial network Germany (RND). The reason is the economic recovery after the peak phase of the corona pandemic and the Ukraine war - both of which drove up prices.
"A trend reversal is not in sight," continued Andreae. The abolition of the surcharge for the promotion of green electricity and the associated reduction in electricity prices by 3.7 cents per kilowatt hour on Friday alone "cannot cushion this," said the BDEW boss.
Consumers would therefore have to be prepared for rising costs. "The longer the price level remains high, the less energy suppliers can compensate for the cost increases through forward-looking procurement and the more they are reflected in consumer prices," said Andreae. The government must therefore examine further relief, such as reducing electricity or value added tax.
The EEG surcharge was reduced to zero on Friday. Economics Minister Robert Habeck explained that this is "more important than ever" in the current high-price phase and could at least reduce the pressure on electricity consumers a little. The providers are legally obliged to "pass on the full extent to their customers".
