Germany set to impose gas levy on consumers
Germany is set to impose a levy on all gas consumers from October 1 aimed at helping suppliers grappling with soaring gas import prices, a draft law showed on Thursday.
The levy aims to share the additional costs for replacing gas from Russia among all gas users and prevent insolvencies among gas traders.
Households and industrial consumers with long-term contracts will be hit by the charge, which will be valid until the end of September, 2024, the document showed. Gas importers will have to bear rising costs by themselves until the levy kicks in.
German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the levy would amount to between 1.5 euro cents and 5 euro cents per kilowatt hour (Kwh), with the proceeds available to all companies that need to replace Russian gas.
He said the measure was a difficult but important one to stabilise the energy market.
"One doesn't know exactly how much (gas) will cost in November, but the bitter news is that it's definitely a few hundred euros per household," he said.
More details about the levy will be announced in August, the document showed. Local utility association VKU welcomed the measure, adding the levy should be raised or extended if high prices persist.
A prerequisite to the government triggering the mechanism is significant disruption to gas flows into Germany. Russia's Gazprom cut flows through the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline to just 20 per cent of capacity this week.
Germany moved to the second of three stages of its supply emergency plan last month, allowing the government to trigger a price adjustment clause so suppliers can pass price increases on to their customers, although it has yet to do so.
A general levy that would increase gas prices for everyone, regardless of their supplier, is considered more fair, however.
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