Berlin (energate) - If electricity or gas suppliers stop supplies more than three months after announcing them, they will face a fine of up to one million euros in future. This is the result of a bill for amendments to the Energy Industry Act (EnWG), which the SPD, Greens and FDP want to introduce in the Bundestag. The coalition government is reacting to cases in which energy suppliers had recently terminated their customers' contracts because prices had risen on the energy exchanges. Thousands of households were affected and ended up in the basic supply (
energate reported).
In future, companies must give three months' notice of a supply stop, except in the case of insolvency. Violations could result in fines of up to one million euros. The federal government justifies this by saying that there is a threat of considerable "disadvantages for important community interests" if companies do not comply with the obligation to guarantee a secure supply.
Clarification on unbundling
The Federal Government is also planning further amendments to the EnWG. These go back to a
ruling by the European Court of Justice in September 2021. The Court had complained that Germany was not correctly transposing the concept of a vertically integrated company into national law. In the opinion of the judges, it is neither limited to companies based in the Union nor to those parts active in the energy industry. Furthermore, regulations on the independence of staff and administration at transmission system operators are to be amended.
Restrictions on overhead lines
With regard to grid expansion, the federal government wants to restrict the possibilities for municipalities to request the construction of overhead lines instead of underground cabling for lines running through their territory. The background, writes the federal government, is that overhead line testing procedures are often fraught with uncertainties. The hoped-for added value for acceptance has not been achieved. /kw
