Germany’s renewables surcharge to remain stable in 2019 – think tank

The surcharge German power customers pay with their power bill to finance the expansion of renewable energy is going to remain largely stable next year, according to calculations made by the energy policy think tank Agora Energiewende*. The renewables surcharge (EEG Umlage) will likely stand between 6.7 and 6.9 eurocents per kilowatt hour (kWh) in 2019 and not increase substantially as initially expected. The renewables surcharge will remain stable for the third year in a row, Agora says in a press release, adding that higher wholesale power prices and financial reserves accrued by the grid operators allow the authorities to keep the rate at its current level. Agora says the surcharge will likely rise above 7 ct/kWh in 2020 before it will fall substantially in the mid-2020s due to much lower investment costs for new renewable power installations. Grid operators will officially announce the 2019 surcharge on 15 October.

Read the press release in German here.

See the CLEW factsheets How much does Germany’s energy transition cost? and What German households pay for power for more information.

*Like the Clean Energy Wire, Agora Energiewende is a project funded by Stiftung Mercator and the European Climate Foundation.