In March, the federal government wants to relieve gas customers with a price brake. However, the aid for electricity consumers should start in January at the latest, Minister of Economics Habeck announced. He believes that criticism of energy companies financing them through "chance profits" is unjustified.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck wants to start financial aid for electricity consumers earlier than previously expected. "In any case, the relief in the electricity price must start in January at the latest," said the Green politician to the "Handelsblatt". "That's what we're aiming for." Habeck was convinced that the planned retrospective skimming off of crisis profits from electricity producers was possible.
The federal government wants to implement an electricity price brake analogous to the gas price brake starting in March. In the case of gas, however, a start is not planned until March, the federal government justifies this with practical problems in the implementation by the utility companies. For the transition, the federal government will make an advance payment from gas customers in December.
The government could possibly do the same with electricity. Habeck drew attention to difficulties in financing the electricity price brake. The government wants to get the money for this by skimming off "chance profits" from electricity producers during the crisis. Interim financing is to take place via the 200 billion "defense shield", from which the gas price brake is also financed. "The siphoning off of the random profits is an extremely complex task," said Habeck. Normally this would take two or three years, but now the government has only two months. "We're doing a political job, but it's risky."
Habeck does not believe that the energy industry's fierce criticism of the plan to skim off the profits retrospectively is justified. "Basically, it's about profits that the energy producers would never have dared to dream of," said the Vice Chancellor. It is a question of solidarity that part of it serves the common good. However, Habeck emphasized that he wanted to take critical voices seriously.
