The President of the Federal Network Agency, Klaus Müller, expects electricity prices for consumers to remain high. “The wholesale prices for electricity have fallen significantly compared to 2022. Nevertheless, the price level is higher than before the Russian war of aggression. This will not change any time soon,” Müller told the “Rheinische Post”. “The time of cheap energy is over; at least as long as we continue to consume large amounts of conventionally generated energy.”
The head of the authority defended the austerity decisions of the traffic light coalition made up of the SPD, Greens and FDP, which is canceling subsidies for network fees in 2024: “That was a difficult decision for the federal government. Unfortunately, you can’t save money without it having an impact. In that respect, I can understand the decision.” Due to the elimination of the planned subsidy of 5.5 billion euros, an average four-person household will pay 120 euros more in network fees per year. Müller assumes that the network operators will quickly pass this on to customers: “Sooner or later the costs will reach all consumers, regardless of when the changes are implemented.”
