The federal government wants to provide special support to energy-intensive companies that have gotten into difficulties as a result of the energy crisis.
The Federal Ministry of Economics has drawn up a detailed draft for an "energy cost containment program" which is said to be adopted next Friday.
The paper is available to the FAZ.
The funding could start shortly.
Helmut Buender
Business correspondent in Düsseldorf.
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The support is intended to offset some of the price increases for both natural gas and electricity.
According to the draft, these price increases represent a “burden that sometimes reaches to the point of threatening their existence” for companies that cannot pass on the cost increase in full.
Aid is planned, which can amount to up to 6.25 million euros per month at the highest level.
The total amount is capped at EUR 50 million per company for the funding period.
A total of up to five billion euros are available for the program.
A prerequisite for the start of the program, which is implemented by the Federal Office of Economics and Export Control (BAFA), is the approval of the European Commission under state aid law.
Part of the additional costs for natural gas and electricity in the period from February to the end of September are eligible.
This is based on the difference between the prices paid in a calendar month and twice the average price that a company paid in the past year.
The benefits are to be provided in the form of a non-repayable grant.
The amount of the grants is graded according to energy dependency and the economic consequences of the energy crisis.
A prerequisite for the benefits is that the management waives the variable part of their remuneration.
In addition, management must assure that the company does not "extensively avoid tax and use tax havens".