Hamburg (energate) - Against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine, the environmental organisation Greenpeace is advocating a "peace levy" on Russian natural gas. The levy, analogous to punitive tariffs, should lead to less money from Germany ending up in Putin's war chest in the short term, even without an immediate gas embargo, Greenpeace announced. In its own
analysis, the organisation recently calculated that due to the rise in energy prices, the Federal Republic of Germany will pay a record sum of 31.8 billion euros to Russia this year for oil and gas alone. This corresponds to 57 per cent of Russia's 2020 military budget, Greenpeace compares. "If the German government shies away from a gas embargo, it must immediately put in place alternative sanctions instruments such as a peace levy to stem the flow of money to Russia," commented Greenpeace economist Mauricio Vargas.
Greenpeace analyses two possible peace levies
Greenpeace has analysed two models for a
peace levy as an alternative to a classic punitive tariff on gas: One is a government-imposed percentage discount on the reference price agreed in the contracts. The other option would be a price cap based, for example, on pre-war prices. For example, gas prices in the period between 2015 and 2020 would have averaged 16 euros per MWh, instead of the current level of around 100 euros, according to Greenpeace. The money retained could flow into a fund and be used, for example, for the reconstruction of Ukraine, as energy money or for the expansion of renewable energies, the environmentalists suggest.
Advantage: Peace levy can be implemented quickly
According to Greenpeace, both sanctions have advantages. They can be implemented quickly and have a more targeted effect than a gas embargo. In addition, the amount of the peace levy can be flexibly adjusted, for example in the event of a troop withdrawal. "The German government's talk about possible import stops without concrete action is highly counterproductive," Vargas said. This only drives up gas prices, the economist argues. The day-ahead gas price on the TTF has meanwhile fallen back to 88.94 euros/MWh after its previous peak on 8 March at 232.46 euros/MWh. However, the price for calendar year 2023 has risen significantly in the past few days from 79.80 to 90.93 euros/MWh.
While coal from Russia is supposed to end as early as this summer (
energate reported) and an embargo is also expected soon for oil, gas remains the matter of concern. Most recently, trade unions and employers' associations again urgently warned against an immediate gas embargo (
energate reported). The German Chemical Industry Association (VCI) fears a deep recession as a consequence (
energate reported). But the industry association BDEW had also recently warned against a hasty exit from Russian gas (
energate reported). /ml
