press releases

Exchange Index EGIX Provides Increased Transparency and Legal Security for District-Heating Customers and Utilities

EEX plans free of charge publication of EGIX – Associations AGFW, BDEW and VKU emphasise the importance of EGIX for the district heat market

The German Energy Efficiency Association for District Heating, Cooling and CHP (registered association, AGFW), the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (registered association, BDEW) and the German Association of Local Utilities (registered association, VKU) advocate the use of the European Gas Index (EGIX) even in district-heating contracts. The associations see this as an important step towards increased transparency on the district-heating market. The new practice of publishing the EGIX values is very important since it provides an instrument which enables the companies of the district heating industry to present their market situation in price revision clauses in line with the market in a way customers can easily and transparently understand.    more...

Müller: 2013 is an important year for the German energy policy

Electricity consumption slightly decreased in 2012 / Electricity generation increased / Use of gas in power stations was substantially reduced

Electricity consumption in Germany somewhat decreased by 1.4 percent in 2012 whereas gas consumption slightly rose by one percent. Gross electricity generation increased by 1.3 percent compared to the preceding year. This development is attributable, among other things, to the colder weather compared to the previous year, the leap day in 2012, and the restrained economic development. This is shown by first estimates of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) for the year 2012.    more...

Solar electricity generation continues to strongly increase

Solar plants supplied 50 percent more electricity than during the same period of the preceding year / Generation by wind power plants slightly increased

According to recent figures of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) solar electricity generation has increased by a good 50 percent compared to 2011. Approximately 24.9 billion kilowatt-hours (billion kWh) of electrical energy have been generated during the period from January to September 2012. During the same period in 2011, this figure amounted to no more than to 16.5 billion kWh. With 2.9 billion kWh, the month of September alone exceeded the value of every individual month of the preceding year. The record month in terms of photovoltaic remained overall the month of May showing a value of more than 4 billion kWh. The strong increase in photovoltaic-based feed-in this year is attributable to the continued development of solar plants and the favourable solar conditions, BDEW underlined.    more...

Hildegard Müller: The government has set the course for the development of network fees

Network fees depend on different local circumstances / Share of network fees in the electricity price has accounted for 20 percent to date

Berlin, 19 October 2012 – "The development of network fees depends on the situation in the network area of the respective company and the local circumstances. There are more than 900 network operators in Germany. This is why network fees in Germany are likely to develop very differently next year. It is advisable to return to an objective discussion about the development of network fees next year," Hildegard Müller, Chairwoman of the General Executive Management Board of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) declared today in Berlin. "I would like to remind you that the government has set the course for this development. Numerous charges have been fixed and new charges introduced which will altogether have a price-increasing effect on the network fees next year. The companies only pass these state-imposed charges, which are reviewed by the Federal Network Agency, on to their customers ", Müller underlined.    more...

Share of taxes and levies in the electricity price rises to a record level of approx. 50 percent in 2013

The funding amount under the EEG will reach approx. 20.4 billion Euros next year

In the context of the discussion about the strong increase of the 2013 EEG levy, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) points out that the share of state-imposed taxes and levies in the electricity price for private customers is likely to rise for the first time to approximately 50 percent next year. According to first calculations of the BDEW, the reasons for this rise are the substantial increase of the EEG levy for the year 2013 of 5.277 Cent per kilowatt-hour and further legal provisions on shared contributions. The Federal Network Agency assumes that the grid fees published today will rise next year. During the next few weeks, further price components determined by the government, such as levies under Section 19 of the Electricity Grid Access Fee Ordinance and under the Cogeneration Act will be calculated on the basis of the grid fees. The new offshore liability rule will also be taken into account in the grid fees. All these electricity price components will rise accordingly. According to the BDEW, electricity customers are likely to have to pay a total of about 20.4 billion Euros (bn. Euros); (2012: 14.1 bn. Euros, 2011: 13.4 bn. Euros, 2010: 8.3 bn. Euros) only for funding of green electricity generation under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (Erneuerbare-Energien-Gesetz - EEG).     more...

Hildegard Müller, Chairwoman of the General Executive Management Board of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) declared on today’s adoption of the Energy Efficiency Directive by the European Council that:

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Energy sector positions itself with strategic reserve

Priority of market-conforming instruments shall be required by law / Proposals on the reform of the Energy Industry Act jeopardise the success of liberalisation

In the current debate about shutdown prohibitions and other measures proposed by the Federal Government to ensure a capacity reserve during the coming winters the energy industry has presented a counterproposal. On the basis of a unanimous decision taken last weekend by the Management Board, the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft -BDEW) requires that the instrument of a "strategic reserve" be granted precedence over rigid interventions of public authorities. "In the forthcoming discussions, our goal is to propose market-conforming and competitive rules which make the currently discussed legal regulations unnecessary", said BDEW President Ewald Woste.    more...

Ensuring transparency – avoiding administrative burdens

BDEW: Draft law leads to considerable costs for companies and regulatory authorities / Price reducing effect cannot be achieved

The German Association of Energy and Wa-ter Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) considers that there is a considerable need for correction regarding the draft law on the establishment of a market transparency unit for wholesale trading in electricity and gas, that has been discussed today in first reading in the German Bundestag. "In its present form, the draft law goes far beyond the EU requirements and is partly inconsistent with European legislation. The draft would give rise to unnecessary costs and additional administrative burdens on companies. The government should fun-damentally review the law because the implementation of effective, EU-wide control of European wholesale energy trading has already made great progress by entry into force of the EU REMIT (Regulation on wholesale energy market integrity and transparency)", Hildegard Müller, Chairwoman of the BDEW General Executive Management Board said today in Berlin.    more...

Hildegard Müller, Chairwoman of the BDEW General Executive Management Board declared on today’s adoption of scheduled regulations on offshore grid connections by the German Federal Cabinet that:

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Renewable energies provide more than one fourth of electricity

Contribution of photovoltaic increased by 47 percent / Slight increase in gas consumption, decrease in electricity consumption compared to previous year

To date, 2012 was a record year for renewable energies in Germany. During the first six months of this year they exceeded for the first time the 25-percent mark. According to first estimations of the German Association of Energy and Water Industries (Bundesverband der Energie- und Wasserwirtschaft - BDEW) renewable energies amounting to 67.9 billion kilowatt-hours during the first six months (first half year of 2011: 56.4) covered one fourth of the German electricity demand, compared to approximately 21 percent during the first six months of 2011.    more...