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Klaus Müller, head of the Federal Network Agency: "Until summer 2024 in a tense situation"
Photo: Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
According to the Federal Network Agency, the planned gas price brake must apply for a period of almost two years.
"We will be in some kind of tense situation at least until the summer of 2024," said Netzagentur President Klaus Müller in a podcast by Baden-Württemberg Finance Minister Danyal Bayaz (Greens).
A planned gas price cap will "certainly" be needed by then.
The amounts of Russian gas that would have to be replaced are “huge”.
First of all, the six liquid gas terminals and the connection to the hinterland would have to be built so that a lot of gas could flow from Belgium, France and Norway to Germany.
Müller believes it is right to relieve citizens of the sharp rise in gas costs, but also insists on incentives to save.
It is true that the gas price cap should be discounted for basic needs.
But it shouldn't be so lavish "that there is no longer any incentive to save".
The network agency president appealed again to the population to save energy as much as possible.
»Will be a touch unfair«
On Thursday, the traffic light coalition announced a new "defense shield" of up to 200 billion euros to support consumers and companies because of rising energy prices.
The initially planned gas surcharge, on the other hand, was canceled shortly before the planned introduction.
A gas price brake is now planned.
At least for part of consumption, the prices should be capped in such a way that private households and companies are not overwhelmed.
What that means exactly is still unclear.
A commission is to make proposals by mid-October.
However, Müller already fears that there will be a lot of controversy about where to draw the line for the lid.
"There will have to be a certain lump sum, which will be a touch unfair." Because the municipal utilities just don't know how many people live in a household.
That's why a calculation per capita is no longer necessary.
There will have to be a solution "where perhaps not all questions of individual justice are regulated, otherwise it will be so complex that nobody can implement it."
rai/dpa
