First Lawsuits Against Grid Fee Exemption for Privileged Grid Use « German Energy Blog

News of lawsuits in Germany are timely support for my recent blog entry on the threat to the industrial sector of high electricity prices, and the machinations governments not attempting to control overall system costs must undertake to combat industrial rate escalation.

First Lawsuits Against Grid Fee Exemption for Privileged Grid Use « German Energy Blog:

"Freiburg-based utility Badenova is reported to have filed a lawsuit against the Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) against the Section 19 StromNEV surcharge due to grid fee exemptions for energy-intensive enterprises.

The surcharge which Badenova reportedly opposes is the result of Section 19 para. 2 sent. 2 Electricity Grid Charges Ordinance (StromNEV) as amended by the Act Amending Energy Law related Provisions last year. According to this provision, end consumers can apply for an exemption of grid charges if the electricity consumption at a delivery point (Abnahmestelle) exceeds 7,000 hours and 10 GW.
Based on a decision by BNetzA, the four transmission system operators (TSOs) published staggered surcharges, amounting from 0.151 ct/kWh to 0.025 ct for 2012. They are required by law to reimburse downstream network operators for lost revenue. Among themselves TSOs have to balance the reimbursements to downstream network operators as well as their own lost revenue. The surcharge covering the lost revenue is then passed on to end consumers "

The full article can be read at the German Energy Blog