There is no doubt that gas is becoming more expensive in the midst of the Ukraine conflict. This affects not only us as end customers, but also large energy companies such as Uniper, which is Germany's largest gas importer and has been hit by the increased prices. For this reason, the Federal Cabinet approved the gas levy on Thursday (04.08.), which will apply for a year and a half from October. It is intended to save struggling energy companies from bankruptcy and thus strengthen security of supply.
Gas levy: What is it actually?
Since mid-June, Russia has been supplying significantly less gas to Europe than agreed. Due to the reduction in gas deliveries from Russia, gas importers have to replace the gas elsewhere in order to meet their delivery obligations to energy suppliers. Due to the reduced availability of other procurement options and the ongoing tense geopolitical situation, gas prices have risen worldwide. Gas importers currently have to bear the resulting increase in purchase prices themselves, which increases the bulgaria consumer email list risk of insolvency. The gas levy is intended to create an opportunity to pass the increased costs on to consumers in order to ensure the stability of continued supplies. According to Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck, the levy should be between 1.5 and 5 cents per kilowatt per hour (kWh). This would mean additional costs of several hundred euros for private households. If the gas quantities supplied by Russia again correspond to the contractually agreed quantities, the levy will be set back to zero. At least that is the hope of the federal government.
How is the gas levy calculated?
The levy applies to all gas customers - private households and companies - from October 2022 until April 2024, probably. The levy is calculated by Trading Hub Europe - the market area manager in the German gas market. The gas levy is calculated from the difference between the purchase prices for Russian gas and the prices for replacement purchases. 90 percent of the calculated amount is used for the gas levy.