Electricity Feed-In Soon to Be Chargeable? E-Control Demands Fairness
The flexible grid costs provided for in the new Electricity Industry Act (ElWG), which could also bring additional grid fees for feed-in from small electricity producers, must in any case be "cost-based." This was stated by the board member of the regulatory authority E-Control, Wolfgang Urbantschitsch, on Monday in the Ö1 "Midday Journal" of ORF. The specific design of the grid tariffs is not yet clear, but there could be thresholds for small installations.
The law contains a provision according to which E-Control must impose grid fees on electricity feed-in providers. What this exactly means cannot currently be quantified. "Anyone who uses the grid, whether to withdraw electricity or to feed it in, should fundamentally make a fair contribution to these grid costs," said Urbantschitsch.
Possible Thresholds for Small Installations
What "cost-based" means in this context must first be analyzed by E-Control. A threshold for small installations is also possible. "It may also be that one comes to the conclusion that it is cost-based if very small installations do not pay a grid fee for feed-in," said the E-Control board member. A small contribution "that does not weigh heavily" would also be possible.
The aim of the regulation is a "fair distribution of grid costs" and a certain control so that locally generated electricity is also consumed locally, said Urbantschitsch.
Nationwide Uniform Social Tariff Planned
Also included in the draft law is the introduction of a nationwide uniform social tariff of 6 cents net per kilowatt-hour up to an annual consumption of 2,900 kilowatt-hours. Around a quarter of a million households in Austria are expected to benefit from this - for example, recipients of minimum pensions or minimum security and those in need of care. According to the E-Control board member, this would definitely ensure "substantially" cheaper prices for this group of people.
The federal government sent the new Electricity Industry Act (ElWG) for review last Friday. Comments can now be submitted for four weeks. A two-thirds majority in parliament is then necessary for the final decision, so the governing parties ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS also need the votes of the FPÖ or the Greens.
(APA/Red)
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