Schwerin (dpa/mv) – The Greens have denounced the disadvantageous assessment of electricity network charges for consumers in the north and called for rapid changes. Although the government factions of the SPD and the left are also calling for a nationwide uniform fee for distribution networks, a Greens motion on Thursday in the state parliament in Schwerin did not find a majority. “We’ve been on the road for a long time,” said Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD).
According to him, an agreement has so far failed due to resistance from southern and western countries, where lower fees apply. Therefore, a new regulation can only be enforced with the help of the federal government. “The regional distribution grids and their costs are a major problem of the energy transition in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. We cannot explain to people that we are making a major contribution to the energy transition by expanding renewable energies, but that we have the highest electricity costs. That’s a fundamental one acceptance problem,” said Meyer. The topic will therefore also play a role at the conference of ministers next week.
According to the Green MP Hannes Damm, the network charges for household customers in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania are around 1 cent above the national average of 7.5 cents per kilowatt hour. “For a household in MV with average consumption, this means an additional burden of up to 100 euros a year,” said Damm. Such inequalities are anything but fair.
In addition to the higher burdens on electricity customers, the different grid fees also create the wrong incentives for companies to set up business in regions with low grid fees and low generation capacities, said Damm. He referred to a ruling by the European Court of Justice, with which Germany is being asked to regulate network charges. This is a good opportunity to standardize the charges for the distribution grids.
