It was last Friday that the EU Commission approved the new electricity support intended for companies in southern Sweden.
– I am happy to announce that the government has made a decision on the regulation as quickly as possible at an extra government meeting today, says Minister of Energy and Business Ebba Busch (KD) in the press release.
The EU approved that companies in electricity areas 3 and 4 should be able to apply for money from a pot of around SEK 30 billion. The money comes from so-called bottleneck fees that Svenska kraftnät received as a result of high electricity prices and large price differences between southern and northern Sweden.
The EU demanded changes
As early as February 20, the Ministry of Climate and Business and the Ministry of Finance produced two proposals with regulations for the support payments. But as a result of EU rules on state aid to companies, the Commission was required to approve the whole thing, and the approval entailed some changes regarding companies with fixed electricity price contracts.
“The reason for this is that the European Commission, among other things, wanted to make sure that only companies and organizations that have been negatively affected by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may take part in the electricity support,” writes the Ministry of Climate and Business.
