BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s four largest high-voltage energy transmission systems operators (TSOs) need 17.03 billion euros ($18.43 billion) from the country’s budget next year to pay out subsidies for green electricity, they said on Friday.
A German surcharge on renewable energy support will be covered completely by the federal budget from 2025 to lower the burden of high prices on businesses and consumers.
After years of financing part of the levy via an extra fund, the new regulation increases the budgetary burden.
An expected account balance of around 500 million euros at the end of 2024 should be deducted from the estimated amount, operators 50Hertz, Amprion, TenneT and TransnetBW said in a statement, resulting in a funding requirement of around 16.5 billion euros.
Finance Minister Christian Lindner’s draft budget for 2025 included 15.9 billion euros for green electricity support in summer.
A projected shortfall of initially 12 billion euros widened to 13.5 billion euros as a result of the government’s new economic and tax estimates that Lindner presented on Thursday.
($1 = 0.9238 euros)
(Reporting by Kirsti Knolle, Editing by Miranda Murray)
