Germany: Increasing surpluses reach billions of Euros in the EEG levy account

Muenster - Since the beginning of the year, there have been constantly growing surpluses in the billions on the EEG levy account. According to the IWR, a renewable energy institute in Muenster, the income and expenditure account for the EEG levy, which is managed by the grid operators, had already recorded an unprecedented surplus of € 1.5 billion for the present accounting year 2014 by the end of march. Despite an expected slight decrease in the forthcoming summer, this credit balance could reach between 3 and 4 billion Euros by the end of the year, states the IWR.

With the anticipated surpluses, the Federal Government is gaining new leeway when it comes to determining the amount of the future EEG levy and further exemptions for industry. The latter already benefits from exchange power prices that have fallen sharply and are currently at the low level seen prior to 2005. Additionally, the 2014 German state budget provides for tax-funded subsidies to the tune of € 350 million for companies that use a lot of power. This is intended to compensate for emissions-trading related electricity power hikes. “Right now, the clear winners in the energy turnaround are electricity-intensive industrial sectors and major customers, while consumers and the renewables industry in Germany are among the losers”, explains IWR director, Dr. Norbert Allnoch.


Background
The expansion of renewable forms of energy is not financed by state subsidies. The EEG levy, paid by power consumers, goes first to a central EEG levy account managed by the grid operators. As in the case of a fund, the income (EEG payments from consumers, income from marketing electricity) and the expenditure (remuneration payments to the operators of renewable energy plants) are balanced. The shortfall that arises between income and expenditure is the amount that is divided up among the power consumers in the form of the EEG levy. These difference costs barely increased from 2012 (€ 16 billion) to 2013 (provisionally: € 16.2 billion). Therefore the raise of the EEG levy in 2014 turned out to be higher than necessary due to the increasing number of companies that are exempt of it. Thus the difference costs are borne by fewer and fewer electricity consumers.


Muenster, 8 April 2014


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Dr. Norbert Allnoch, International Economic Platform for Renewable
Energies (IWR).

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Phone: +49 (0)251 / 23 94 6-0
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