(Ausnahmeregelungen für die Industrie) To protect the competitiveness of German industry, energy-intensive industrial companies which are exposed to international competition are exempt from surcharges on electricity bills, notably the → EEG surcharge which funds the development of renewable power production, but also from other levies, including for → CHP. This exemption also covers the tax on the use of public space for power lines, and → grid fees. The extent to which a company is exempted from these charges depends on certain factors, including its field of business; the total amount of energy it consumes; and the share of power costs in its total expenditure. Very large power consumers that use a lot of electricity during their production processes are exempted from the EEG surcharge up to 90 percent, and the same exemption applies to most other levies.
