Electricity price brake on the brink?
Energy association warns - "Not feasible"
Created: 10/25/2022, 4:34 p.m
By: Patricia Huber
The electricity price brake is to come in January 2023.
But that's unrealistic, according to an industry interest group.
The proposed procedure is extremely complex.
Berlin – The Federal Association of Energy and Water Management considers introducing the electricity price brake on January 1st to be unfeasible.
That's what general manager Kerstin Andreae said in Berlin.
The implementation and design should be carried out by the customer in the same way as for the gas price brake.
This will only take effect on March 1, 2023.
For this reason, a "waiver" of the December deduction is planned as emergency aid.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) had told the
Handelsblatt
: “The relief in electricity prices must in any case start in January at the latest.
That's what we're aiming for.” However, Habeck drew attention to difficulties in financing the electricity price brake.
The government wants to get the money for this by skimming off "chance profits" from electricity producers.
Electricity price brake: Too many ambiguities
Andreae said that it has not yet been determined by which body and by which procedure random profits should be skimmed off, which, in contrast to the gas price brake, should be used for the relief.
"The model most recently proposed by the federal government is extremely complex to implement and cannot be technically or organizationally implemented by the companies concerned."
"The trust of the market participants in government commitments and the stability of the market framework are central to further investments in the expansion," said Andreae.
The federal government should therefore urgently develop a more practicable and future-oriented model for skimming.
The implementation of the associated EU requirements should be as simple as possible and must be handled by a state organization.
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Electricity and gas price brake: Consumer centers call for speed
At the same time, the consumer advice centers are demanding that the planned electricity and gas price brake in Germany take effect as early as January.
If necessary, it should also be extended to other energy sources, such as oil and pellets, said association leader Ramona Pop on Tuesday.
“People expect quick and effective help and relief.
Another stalemate will lead to a further loss of trust after the hit and miss of the last few months," she warned.
"It cannot be that the price brakes only come after the winter at the beginning of spring and then should not be based on the consumption costs in winter," said Pop.
A quick relief should not fail due to technical requirements.
(dpa)
