E-Control board member Wolfgang Urbantschitsch assumes that the prices for electricity and gas will fall in the middle of the year. However, there will be no decline to the level of two years ago. He confirmed that there are transparency problems with energy bills for consumers in some places.
Are the electricity price increases justified? The Chambers of Labor in Salzburg and Tyrol doubt this and present an expert opinion. E-Control board member Wolfgang Urbantschitsch was a guest in the ZIB2 studio:
Regarding the judgment of the Vienna Commercial Court, which overturned the price increase of the partially state-owned electricity company Verbund in May 2022, Urbantschitsch said that this was “surprising” and “very far-reaching”. However, it is a judgment in the first instance, now it is necessary to wait for the appeal of the Verbund group.
In any case, there is a public interest in low energy prices, but it is also about the well-being of companies. One should not forget that many electricity companies are often majority-owned by the public sector, and company law requires that all owners be treated equally. “The public interest also counts, but ultimately it’s always about acting for the good of society,” said the head of the state regulatory authority.
In any case, the judgment of the commercial court would mean for the customers: “You can now wait a moment, because if this price change has become ineffective, the customers will get their money back.” In principle, however, the following applies: If the legal opinion (of the commercial court) prevails, it will be much more difficult for companies to react to market developments as soon as they want to change their prices, according to Urbantschitsch, who also fears that electricity providers could withdraw completely from the end customer market, what would be detrimental to competition.
A week ago, the Vienna Commercial Court overturned the price increase of the electricity group Verbund from May 2022. According to the Association for Consumer Information (VKI), the clause for adjusting the electricity work price is surprising and disadvantageous for customers. He had sued on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs. The verdict is not final, the association has already announced an appeal.
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