Additional charges on electricity among industry’s greatest concerns

Additional charges on electricity levied by the state are one of the greatest concerns of Germany’s industrial companies, Daniel Wetzel writes in Die Welt. According to a survey conducted by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce and Industry (DIHK) among 2,250 companies, lower charges on electricity is the industry’s most important energy policy demand for Germany’s next government, Wetzel says. Additional levies like the renewables surcharge or grid fees now account for 81 percent of the companies’ electricity expenses, overtaking the 64 percent surcharge rate on fuel. “Power prices have become a real disadvantage” for Germany as a location for industrial production, DIHK head Eric Schweitzer said. While wholesale power prices are falling, the state’s surcharges have doubled since 2010, he added. The DIHK says the state could unburden industrial companies by using revenues from the power tax to finance renewables expansion, instead of relying on the renewables surcharge that customers have to pay on their power bill.

Read the article in German here, the DIHK press release in German here, and the survey results in German here.

See the CLEW factsheets What business thinks of the energy transition and What energy & climate stakeholders want from Germany’s next government for background.