The Federal Network Agency has spoken out in favor of an electricity price reform with lower fees for regions with a lot of wind power. The authority’s president, Klaus Müller, told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung” that there was a draft law in the Bundestag that would authorize the network agency to introduce fair network charges. “As soon as the law is passed, we will make a proposal for the reform.” So far, regions that rely particularly on wind power have been particularly heavily burdened financially.
“I don’t meet any energy ministers in the federal states who still approve of this historically grown system,” said Müller. Finally, regions in southern Germany are also affected, in which many wind turbines are set up and connected to the grid. His impression is that the energy ministers of all federal states are behind his reform plans. “Because it is obvious that we should reward the expansion of renewables. I can well understand the frustration of many citizens and regions about this.”
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics said with regard to renewable energies that the goal must be to make the expansion-related network costs between the regions fair. European requirements must be observed for this. “At the same time, we rely on a close dialogue with and between the federal states.” According to a ruling by the European Court of Justice, the network fees must be determined by an independent regulatory authority. In Germany, this is the network agency. In May, the cabinet initiated a corresponding amendment to the Energy Industry Act.
Published/Updated: Recommendations: 45 A comment by Heike Göbel Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 115 Ralph Bollmann Published/Updated: , Recommendations: 22
An electricity price reform has been discussed for a long time. Federal states in the north with a comparatively high production of renewable energies see themselves at a disadvantage because they pay higher costs than in southern Germany for the necessary grid expansion. Schleswig-Holstein’s Economics Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen said in June: “It is unacceptable that northern Germany pays the highest grid fees because we produce the energy there and ensure that the electricity ultimately comes south.” Prime Minister Markus Söder said in May that electricity could not be more expensive in the south and cheaper in the north.