When the electricity bill arrives, customers pay more than just energy, and part of it goes to the state. The coalition is planning another levy – for the restructuring of the energy supply.
The Federal Government is planning a new levy on the price of electricity for the construction of new gas-fired power plants and the modernization of existing ones, according to the Federal Ministry of Economics. The new plants are intended to help keep the electricity supply stable even with a growing share of renewable energies.
When the sun isn’t shining and the wind isn’t blowing, they’re supposed to step in. According to the ministry, however, this so-called capacity mechanism won’t come into effect until 2028 at the earliest. “There is currently no new electricity levy planned,” it said.
Allocation in the “range of low decimal places”
Regarding the magnitude of the planned levy, the ministry stated that it would be “in the range of a few decimal places”. The mechanism would be “designed in a cost-conscious manner”.
With regard to other surcharges on electricity prices, the comparison portal Verivox assumes that the new surcharge would result in an average family incurring extra costs of between one and three euros per month.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck said that financing such capacities through a levy is common practice in Europe to secure supply. “However, consumers will not have to pay anything at first,” said the Green politician in Bonn. “We are now talking about the period in the 1930s. And then we will see how the electricity price can be exempted from other levies.” It is speculation to calculate exactly what this will cost.
“State share of electricity”: around 31 percent
According to Verivox, taxes, duties and levies accounted for around 31 percent of the electricity price this month. Another 30 percent went to electricity network fees, the remaining 39 percent to electricity procurement and the electricity suppliers’ margins. Until the EEG levy – which was used to finance the expansion of renewable energies – was abolished in July 2022, the state share of the electricity price was significantly higher.
The project is part of the plans for a new power plant safety law, which Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Habeck and Finance Minister Christian Lindner (FDP) recently agreed on. A total capacity of 12 gigawatts (GW) is to be created, as well as 500 megawatts of storage.
Levy for five gigawatts
For this purpose, new gas-fired power plants are to be built that are equipped so that they can later be operated with more climate-friendly hydrogen; existing power plants are also to be converted. Five gigawatts of capacity are to be financed from the Federal Government’s Climate and Transformation Fund, and a further five gigawatts via the levy described.
Source: Stern
