Share this on social media
Germany slashes green electricity levy by almost 43%, with abolishment in sight
(EurActiv, 18 Oct 2021) Germany will lower its infamous renewable electricity surcharge to the lowest point ever in 2022 amid signs that the next government may be preparing to abolish the tax entirely.
The renewable electricity surcharge, introduced under the German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG), “will go from 6.5 to 3.7 cents per kWh starting 1 January,” said Peter Altmaier, the country’s caretaker minister of economy and energy.
“That’s a decrease of almost 43%,” Altmaier told journalists on Friday (15 October).
The EEG surcharge is one of the pillars of Germany’s transition to renewables. The money is fed into a fund that secures renewable electricity suppliers a guaranteed price for 20 years, giving investors the confidence to spend in wind or solar power projects.
Germany is one of the EU countries with the highest electricity prices, something that critics have attributed to the EEG. Because of the levy, industrial electricity prices in June were 30% higher than wholesale market prices, according to energy industry association BDEW.
EurActiv, 18 Oct 2021: Germany slashes green electricity levy by almost 43%, with abolishment in sight
