Federal Government aims to prevent higher grid-use fees for electricity-intensive companies during the Covid-19 pandemic

As proposed by the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy, the Federal Cabinet adopted today the Ordinance on the implementation of pandemic-related and other changes to ordinances based on the Energy Industry Act (in German) (PDF, 121 KB). The ordinance contains a transitional arrangement for electricity-intensive companies which so far have paid reduced grid-use fees. In view of the special circumstances of 2020, it is to be possible to verify whether the companies meet the preconditions for reduced grid-use fees on the basis of consumption data from 2019.

Many companies have seen a drop in output and sales due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The temporary fall in electricity consumption might mean that such companies fail to meet the formal requirements for reduced grid-use fees in 2020. To make sure that these companies are not encumbered with additional costs, the ordinance adopted by the cabinet provides for transitional arrangements. In this way, the ordinance sends out an important signal intended to prevent the companies affected from getting into financial difficulty.

Also, the ordinance contains an arrangement which prevents the inappropriate imposition of grid-use fees in the case of technically induced electricity transit flows. Finally, the ordinance reduces the requirements for paper contracts governing connection to the grid, and thus facilitates the conclusion of online contracts.

The ordinance requires the approval of the Bundesrat.