Energy prices: Cabinet brings relief for gas customers

The Federal Government wants to get relief from gas customers on the way. Specifically, companies and consumers should be exempt from costs of the gas storage levy. In total, all end customers are to be relieved by a total of around 3.4 billion euros, as it was said from circles of the Federal Ministry of Economics. With a levy of EUR 2.89 per megawatt hour, the relief for a four -person budget is around 30 to 60 euros a year depending on the consumption.

The cabinet now wants to decide to change the Energy Industry Act. The federal government will be financed by the federal government in the future. Specifically, it is about costs for filling the gas storage. The Federal Government wants to compensate for a so -called levy account by the end of 2025 with 3.4 billion euros from the climate and transformation fund (KTF) – this is a special pot of the federal government. According to the draft law, the levy for household customers accounts for around 2.4 percent and around 5 percent of the gas price for major customers.

There is criticism that the costs are financed from the KTF, for example from the Greens – because it promotes fossil energies from the state budget.

Package of measures – but no electricity tax reduction for everyone

The abolition of the gas storage levy is part of an announced package of measures to relieve the energy prices. This also includes a reduction in network charges, part of the electricity price. The Federal Government has also decided to stab the reduction in electricity tax for the manufacturing trade from 2026.

In the coalition agreement, the CDU, CSU and SPD had announced that they would reduce electricity tax for everyone – albeit with the subject of financing. The Federal Government has the controversial decision of not reducing electricity tax for everyone at first, with household constraints, with the fact that the relief of industry is priority to secure jobs.

Representatives of the government factions in the Bundestag further urge to enable electricity tax reduction for all consumers. “The possibility of a broad reduction in electricity tax continues to exist,” said Union faction vice Sepp Müller to the newspapers of the Funke media group. “In a federal budget of 500 billion euros, one percent savings potential can be realized.”

The SPD parliamentary group, Nina Scheer’s energy policy spokeswoman, commented similarly: “The coalition agreement still applies immediately, for everyone, to the European minimum,” she said. That should also be implemented.