Those who live in the south or west could have to dig deeper into their pockets for electricity, so the fear. What pleases the North causes trouble elsewhere.
Six federal states are fighting against higher electricity prices because of a lower expansion of wind power. A uniform electricity price zone is an expression of a uniform German economic area, write the prime ministers of Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria, Hesse, North Rhine-Westphalia, Rhineland-Palatinate and Saarland in a statement published on Friday. “A weakening of the economically strong countries of the south and west cannot be in the interest of the federal government or the north German states.”
Saarland Prime Minister Anke Rehlinger (SPD) explained: “Our meeting is a loud signal that we are making every effort, even if we don’t have the North Sea for wind turbines.” Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) emphasized: “Six countries are joining forces, representing 64 percent of the population and 70 percent of the gross domestic product. It is the industrial heart of Germany.”
NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) warned: “Anyone who weakens industry in the south and west weakens Germany as a whole.” His Baden-Württemberg colleague Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) demanded: “A uniform, reliable and affordable energy supply must be guaranteed throughout Germany.”
Pressure on the Federal Network Agency
In the end, there should be no division of electricity price zones, said Söder: “It cannot be that electricity is more expensive in the south and cheaper in the north.” This leads to an exodus of the economy from all over Germany. It is also unacceptable that hydrogen should only be a privilege of the north, stressed Söder. “We need the expansion of hydrogen and hydrogen infrastructure everywhere.”
In their four-page paper, the representatives of the south-western federal states call for the preservation of a uniform electricity price zone, a rapid expansion of renewable energies and a rapid ramp-up of hydrogen as a climate-friendly energy source throughout Germany.
They also insist on accelerated expansion of the power grids by the Federal Network Agency, the rapid construction of gas-fired power plants that can also be operated with hydrogen in the future, better framework conditions for storage, the introduction of cheaper electricity prices for industry and appropriate influence by the federal states on regulatory issues.
Read: Energy in the north must be cheaper
The northern German non-city states had called for Germany to be divided into different electricity price zones at the expense of southern Germany. According to a September report by “Welt am Sonntag”, the northern German states want to push through cheaper electricity prices for their citizens and companies. Lower Saxony’s Energy Minister Olaf Lies (SPD) told the newspaper: “If I live or produce where the energy is produced or landed, this energy must also be cheaper there.” The north has been bearing the brunt of the energy transition for years.
Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) are also aware of the price differences. However, he wants to react to this with a reform of the network charges. These are particularly high in regions with a high proportion of renewable energies, which also increases electricity prices there. Habeck wants greater harmonization of grid fees so that in the end electricity costs are cheaper where a lot of energy is generated from wind and sun, which must be a location advantage.
