Lemke calls the actions of electricity and gas providers "partly illegal"

Enlarge image

Consumer Protection Minister Lemke (archive picture): What can be done against "horrific price increases"?

Photo: Michael Huebner / Future Image / IMAGO

In the past few weeks, many electricity and gas customers have received unpleasant mail from their energy suppliers: Consumers are faced with massive price increases, and contracts have been terminated retrospectively in thousands of cases.

Now, Consumer Protection Minister Steffi Lemke has criticized the termination of contracts by some low-cost providers of electricity and gas as "partly completely unlawful".

"If individual electricity providers now charge more than 70 or even 90 cents for a kilowatt-hour, then I consider that to be extreme fluctuations," said the Green politician of the Reuters news agency.

"Even if procurement costs rise, such horrific price increases are not justified."

Lemke pointed out that the terminations and the conclusion of contracts with other consumers meant significantly higher electricity and gas prices for many households - and also pointed out possible legal steps by those concerned.

"Here the consumer advice centers and possibly also the courts are asked to take a closer look." The government is observing developments and examining whether there is any need for further action.

"We will not leave the citizens alone and counteract a general rise in prices," emphasized the Green politician. The federal government will further reduce the charges on the price of electricity, increase the heating cost subsidy for housing benefits and distribute the CO₂-related additional heating costs fairly between tenants and landlords. Lemke pointed out that the EEG surcharge was reduced on January 1, 2022 and called on the providers to pass this reduction on to consumers.

In the course of the price explosion for electricity and gas, several providers had terminated their customers' supply contracts.

In the case of Stromio alone, consumer advocates speak of several hundred thousand households affected.

According to the comparison portal Check24, around 260 basic providers have introduced new tariffs only for new customers.

The prices have been increased by an average of 105.8 percent.

mic / Reuters