EEG surcharge to decrease slightly in 2018 – renewables organisation

For 2018, the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE) projects a slight decrease in the country’s levy to finance renewables expansion, the organisation says in a press release. The Renewable Energy Act (EEG) surcharge will drop to about 6.71 euro cents per kilowatt hour (ct/kWh), from the current 6.88 ct/kWh, writes BEE. Rising wholesale power prices would lower the support payments to renewable power producers. Furthermore, Germany’s “green energy account” has had a large surplus, which could be used to lower the levy on consumers. BEE calls for a CO₂ price to lower total electricity prices for consumers further. Back in September, the think tank Agora Energiewende* projected a similar figure – 6.74 ct/kWh - for the 2018 levy.

Find the press release in German here.

For background, read the CLEW factsheets Defining features of the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) and What German households pay for power, and the news digest entry Renewables levy to decrease slightly in 2018 – think tank.

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