Magdeburg/Halle (dpa/sa) – The first energy suppliers have announced that they will pass on the gas levies as of October 1 – consumers in Saxony-Anhalt must also expect a cost adjustment. The Municipal Works Magdeburg (SWM), for example, announced an increase in gas prices for basic and backup supply in a public announcement on Friday. Customers should also be informed by letter. This also includes the allocations for gas procurement, gas storage and accounting.
However, the legal regulations do not allow the levies to be passed on immediately to all natural gas customers, said an SWM spokeswoman. Price adjustments are possible, but in the case of fixed-price contracts, they can only be passed on after the price guarantee has expired. “All customers with fixed-term contracts will be informed of the price adjustment in writing (by letter) no later than six weeks before the end of the contract period,” said the spokeswoman.
Customers of the municipal energy supplier in Halle (EVH) have also received mail. The utility will also increase electricity and natural gas prices on October 1st. According to a spokeswoman, the allocations have not yet been taken into account due to the short notice of the announcement. So there will be a further adjustment to pass on the state levies, about which consumers should be informed in good time, it said.
It is also not yet clear when the East German gas supplier Mitgas will pass on the surcharges to end customers. According to the company, voting is still ongoing. Customers are to be informed of the forthcoming changes in accordance with the contractual provisions.
So far, the transfer of the surcharges, for example for the supply of district heating, has not been regulated. Municipal utilities that generate their district heating from natural gas cannot easily pass this on to their district heating customers, according to the spokeswoman for SWM.
