The controversial gas levy to support large gas importers is under scrutiny in view of a possible nationalization of the ailing utility Uniper. According to information from the German Press Agency, Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has “doubts about the financial constitution”. Habeck is also said to have indicated that the financing requirements for the gas suppliers are significantly higher than when the first rescue package for Uniper was negotiated.
It is becoming increasingly clear that the unstable situation needs “the power and the guarantee of the state as well as all the financial strength of the state” that is necessary, according to dpa information on Tuesday. However, the Federal Ministry of Finance is responsible for the final examination and responsibility for the financial constitutional law. The ARD capital office had previously reported on it.
A spokeswoman for the Federal Ministry of Economics said on request that “of course you also have to keep an eye on how the emerging need for stabilization of systemically important companies is affecting the gas market, what questions it raises and what answers are necessary”. She pointed out that adjustments were currently being made to the planned gas surcharge and that the group of companies eligible to apply was being reduced in such a way that free riders were not included. In addition, legal aid issues would be clarified.
Söder: Eliminate the gas allocation as quickly as possible
CSU boss Markus Söder has welcomed a possible end to the controversial gas levy and called for its rapid abolition. “The gas levy was a botch from the start and must be eliminated as soon as possible,” said the Bavarian Prime Minister on Tuesday on the sidelines of the autumn retreat of the CSU state parliamentary group in the Upper Franconian Banz monastery of the German Press Agency. “But of course it shows how inconsistently and how thoughtlessly the entire federal government is acting,” he added. “Into the potatoes, out of the potatoes, improvements are made somewhere every week. That’s not the way to gain confidence in such a difficult winter.”
The gas surcharge is intended to support gas importers who get into trouble because of the high purchase prices for Russian gas. The surcharge for all gas users is currently set at around 2.4 cents per kilowatt hour. According to the current status, the first advance payments should be due at the end of October. The levy is to be introduced on October 1 of this year. Habeck tries to limit the circle of eligible companies so that only companies that are really in need benefit.
Uniper is Germany’s most important gas importer
Uniper is in trouble because Russia is practically no longer pumping gas to Germany, but Uniper has to fulfill its long-term contracts and buys the missing gas expensively on the market. The situation of Germany’s most important gas importer has worsened as a result of the renewed closure of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
According to the company, a stronger commitment from the federal government is under discussion. Among other things, the parties involved examined “a direct capital increase that would lead to a significant majority stake in Uniper by the federal government,” Uniper recently announced. In July, the federal government, the group and its Finnish parent company Fortum agreed on a billion-euro rescue package, which also provides for the federal government to get involved.
