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Power pylons in Wolmirstedt (Saxony-Anhalt):
Photo: Klaus-Dietmar Gabbert / dpa
The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, expects electricity prices for consumers to remain high. "Wholesale electricity prices have fallen significantly compared to 2022. Nevertheless, the price level is higher than before the Russian war of aggression. That won't change anytime soon," Müller told the Rheinische Post. The era of cheap energy is over; at least as long as we continue to consume large amounts of conventionally generated energy."
The head of the authority defended the austerity decisions of the traffic light coalition of SPD, Greens and FDP, which is cancelling subsidies for grid fees in 2024: "This was a difficult decision for the federal government. Unfortunately, you can't save money without it having an impact. In this respect, I can understand the decision.«
Due to the elimination of the planned subsidy of 5.5 billion euros, an average four-person household will pay 120 euros more in network fees per year. Müller assumes that network operators will quickly pass this on to customers: "Sooner or later, the costs will reach all consumers, regardless of when the changes are implemented."
The fact that electricity is comparatively expensive in this country is also due to the high grid charges. Customers in northern German states such as Schleswig-Holstein, for example, are particularly affected by this, where renewable energies – and thus also lines – are increasingly being expanded. This is passed on to the transmission grid charges.
The extent to which this has an impact on private households depends on the respective distribution system operator on site: it settles the transport costs with the transmission system operator; in addition, there are the fees for the local network. The higher transmission grid charges will therefore be passed on, but usually not in full.
fdi/dpa