The word gas price brake is on everyone’s lips and should have a chance of being word of the year. When exactly it will take effect, however, is still in the stars.
Berlin/Leipzig (dpa/sn) – The Saxon left-wing politician Sören Pellmann cannot understand the delays in the price cap for electricity and gas. “It cannot be that the federal government needs half a year to slow down electricity and gas prices. We need price caps now. Before winter, not only afterwards,” he told the German Press Agency. Federal Minister of Economics Robert Habeck (Greens) should look to Austria with regard to electricity prices. “There, electricity customers will in future only pay 10 cents for average consumption. That would be a helpful relief for citizens and businesses. What is possible in Austria must also be feasible in Germany.” Pellmann is a member of the Bundestag for his party and comes from Leipzig.
According to the federal government’s plans to date, consumers should be relieved of electricity prices by January at the latest, and gas prices probably not until March. Critics had demanded that the brakes on gas prices should come into effect as early as January. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) was even open to it at the weekend. On Monday, however, the federal government dampened expectations: “The desire to install a gas price brake that will take effect very quickly is a bit counter to reality,” said government spokesman Steffen Hebestreit. Many utilities would have said they wouldn’t be able to do it anytime soon.
The commission of experts set up by the federal government had proposed a one-off payment in December for private gas customers and small companies based on the advance payment in September. The actual price brake should come for industrial companies in January and for private households and small companies from March if possible, or April at the latest. On Friday, the Prime Ministers’ Conference called for the gas price brake to be introduced as early as January 1st.
