Habeck: Relief for electricity customers “by January at the latest”

Created: 10/24/2022 1:43 p.m

By: Lisa Mayerhofer

Robert Habeck wants to help electricity consumers with financial aid earlier than expected.

The Economics Minister made that clear in an interview.

Berlin – Energy prices are high – many consumers are already feeling it.

In the traffic light coalition, calls are now being made to initiate the relief earlier than previously expected.

Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) also wants to start earlier with financial aid for electricity consumers.

"In any case, the relief in electricity prices must start in January at the latest," said the Vice Chancellor in an interview with the

published on Monday (October 24) .

"That's what we're aiming for." Habeck was convinced that the planned retrospective skimming off of crisis profits from electricity producers was possible.

Habeck wants to get electricity price brakes on the way earlier

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

also handle electricity in the same way.

Habeck drew attention to difficulties in financing the electricity price brake.

The government wants to get the money for this by skimming off “accidental profits” from electricity producers during the crisis.

Interim financing is to be provided via the "200 billion defense shield", which is also used to finance the gas price brake.

Habeck: "Skimming off the random profits is an extremely complex task"

"The skimming off of the chance winnings is an extremely complex task," said Habeck.

Normally this would take two or three years, but now the government has only two months.

"We are implementing a political mandate, but it is risky."

Habeck does not believe that doubts about the plan to skim off the profits retrospectively are 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.