Energy: Gas allocation under criticism – Lindner: Corrections are possible

Billions for companies that are not in need? In view of the criticism of the gas levy, Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner has shown himself open to possible improvements. “A measure of solidarity cannot serve to ensure that individual companies maintain their returns and make profits on them,” said the FDP leader on the ZDF program “Maybrit Illner”. You have to take a close look at that – he doesn’t know the facts, Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) knows that much better. “But if there is a need to change something to make this tool more targeted so that consumers benefit, then we are not afraid to make corrections.”

The federal government has so far stuck to the levy, which will ensure significant price increases for gas customers from autumn.

The surcharge is intended to compensate for the sharply increased procurement costs of large importers such as Uniper due to the throttling of Russian gas deliveries in order to protect them from bankruptcy and the German energy system from collapse. All gas customers should pay an additional 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour, private households as well as companies. About half of all apartments in Germany are heated with gas.

Comprehensive criticism of gas surcharge

However, there is widespread criticism of the levy – because companies that are doing well economically could also benefit from it. According to Trading Hub Europe, a joint venture of the gas transmission system operators, twelve companies have registered claims for compensation. According to dpa information, more than 90 percent of the 34 billion euros that will accrue for the gas levy, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, will go to Uniper and the former Gazprom Germania. Uniper is the largest importer of Russian gas, and the federal government had decided on a rescue package worth billions because of its financially tense situation.

The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, told the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”: “I can understand the anger, but only a small part of the levy goes to companies that don’t really need it to avert insolvency. I’m sure that more transparency can be ensured with future amendments to the law. But I believe that the levy is more targeted than its reputation, even if it is not openly comprehensible so far.”

First corporations do without

RWE and Shell had already declared that they wanted to bear losses themselves. Others could now follow this example: A spokesman for the Austrian energy group OMV said that the German subsidiary had announced compensation claims as a gas importer within the meaning of the law. “Whether and to what extent claims exist and whether they are claimed depends on further examinations and decisions.”

OMV made billions in profits in the first half of the year. The Swiss energy trader Axpo and the German energy group EnBW, whose subsidiary VNG wants financial compensation through the levy, also achieved a surplus.

According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, importers of Russian natural gas to Germany are entitled to apply for cost compensation. They would have to be directly affected by a loss of gas import contracts and the corresponding quantities. The contracts would have to provide for direct, physical delivery to the German gas market area.

Habeck calls for the waiver of other companies

Economics Minister Robert Habeck advised other companies to do the same after RWE gave up. “It would also be reasonable if companies that make good profits do that,” said the Green politician in Gelsenkirchen on the sidelines of a factory tour.

Because of legal equality, the law provides that all companies can assert their Russian gas claims. “But of course we also see how many free riders there are now. Of course it wasn’t meant that way.” The crowd is not particularly large. “But we are checking again whether, apart from the question “Is that really necessary?”, there is another regulation that makes it more difficult for these companies.”

Habeck did not name companies. When asked whether there were already indications from companies not to do so, Habeck said: “There are talks with some companies.”

Green boss: Excess profit tax should come

The legal situation is one thing – the political assessment is another. “Of course, it also disturbs my sense of justice when companies that make big profits elsewhere now want to shift their costs to consumers at an early stage,” said Green Party co-chairman Ricarda Lang in Berlin. At the same time, however, it is legally quite difficult to restrict the data situation to individual companies that are systemically important or threatened with insolvency. That’s why political solutions are now needed, said Lang – and reiterated her call for an excess profit tax for energy companies. But that should not be possible with the coalition partner FDP.

The FDP, in turn, asked Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) to make improvements. “As Free Democrats, we are committed to ensuring that only companies that are in a market-threatening imbalance are supported with the gas levy,” said the energy policy spokesman for the FDP parliamentary group, Michael Kruse.

SPD sees open questions

The SPD also sees open questions. “The SPD parliamentary group will insist that only applications for financial relief from companies whose existence is threatened by the current price trend can be successful,” said parliamentary group leader Matthias Miersch. “That must be ensured.” It is not for nothing that the Bundestag has anchored a two-month right of parliamentary intervention in the Energy Security Act. “At the same time, questions arise as to how far we can go alternative ways of relieving these companies – beyond a levy, such as by using taxpayers’ money.”

So far, however, the federal government has not wanted to go down this route using tax money, also with reference to the fact that budget funds are becoming scarcer. And the traffic light with its majority in the Bundestag should prevent another way: The CDU wants to overturn the gas levy in the Bundestag. “This gas surcharge should be abolished,” said CDU General Secretary Mario Czaja. The Union faction will apply in the next week of the Bundestag to withdraw it. The Bundestag can decide this according to the Energy Security Act.

“The fact that the Union wants to stop the gas levy in the Bundestag shows that it is continuing its energy policy blind flight of recent years and has learned nothing from the mistakes of the past, which have brought us to the current situation,” said the FDP politician Kruse. “Without the levy, the entire gas supply in Germany would be at risk, and without the levy, many regional gas suppliers would face financial difficulties and supply bottlenecks that could hardly be overcome.”