With a view to the coming year, the Federal Network Agency has, as expected, no good news for consumers – the head of the authority, Klaus Müller, predicts that the monthly deductions will triple.
According to estimates by the Federal Network Agency, the monthly advance payments for consumers of natural gas will at least triple in the coming year. “For those who are now getting their heating bills, the deductions are already doubling – and the consequences of the Ukraine war are not even taken into account,” said the President of the authority, Klaus Müller, the editorial network Germany. “From 2023, gas customers will have to expect the discounts to triple, at least,” he added.
Some of the prices on the stock exchanges have increased sevenfold. “Not everything reaches consumers immediately and not in full, but at some point it has to be paid for. And that’s why it makes so much sense to save more now,” Müller continued.
When asked what he thought of passing on the higher procurement costs of the gas dealers to the gas customers with a levy, the head of the network agency said: “This is a political decision that has to be weighed very carefully.” You could support the companies with billions. The other variant would be “to pass on the prices and then to help those who can no longer afford them”.
Müller countered fears that private households could be supplied with lower priority in the event of a gas shortage. “The German and European legal situation provides for private households to be protected to the end,” he affirmed. “Even in the worst scenario, Germany will continue to get gas from Norway and from terminals in Belgium or Holland, soon also directly from terminals on the German coast.” He doesn’t think it’s very likely that gas will no longer reach people’s homes.
Since Monday, Russia has stopped supplying gas through the important Nord Stream 1 Baltic Sea pipeline due to maintenance work. The work is scheduled to last until July 21. It is unclear whether gas will flow again afterwards.
Employer President Rainer Dulger is therefore very concerned about the German economy. “It looks as if Russia is severely short of gas or will not deliver anything at all in the long run,” Dulger told the Süddeutsche Zeitung. “We are facing the biggest crisis the country has ever had.” A gas supply stop would pose serious problems for the German economy. This is not limited to industry, but affects everyone. “We have to be honest and say: We’re going to lose the prosperity that we’ve had for years,” said Dulger.
Source: Stern
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
