Renewable energy surcharge for 2022 set at 3.723 ct/kWh

EEG surcharge to fall to ten-year low in 2022

Year of issue 2021
Date of issue 2021.10.15

The contribution charge to cover the costs of the electricity for which payments are made under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) – known as the EEG surcharge – will be 3.723 cents per kilowatt hour (ct/kWh) next year.

The EEG surcharge is announced in mid-October each year for the following calendar year by the transmission system operators (TSOs) on the basis of expert forecasts. The Bundesnetzagentur ensures that it has been determined properly. The surcharge for 2021 was 6.500 ct/kWh, so in 2022 it will be almost 43% lower. The last time it was below 4 ct/kWh was in 2012 (3.592 ct/kWh).

Rising exchange prices and revenue from carbon pricing lead to fall in EEG surcharge

The main reason for the sharp fall in the EEG surcharge is the strong rise in electricity prices on the power exchange. The resulting higher revenues for renewable electricity considerably reduce the need for financial support. New installations coming under the EEG therefore require only a negligible amount of additional support. As in the previous year, the surcharge will also be kept lower due to federal government assistance, which will be funded from carbon pricing revenue.

The large decrease in the EEG surcharge will itself lead to a noticeable reduction in the burden on final customers. An average household consuming 3,500 kWh annually will save over €100 in the year, including value-added tax. The lower EEG surcharge will thus help to mitigate the effects of rising energy prices.

Expected growth for 2022 driven again primarily by solar installations

The TSOs predict a net increase of 8.2 GW in renewable capacity in 2022. The majority of this increase will again come from solar installations. There is expected to be a slight recovery in the growth of onshore wind, so the TSOs anticipate that the target increase set out in the EEG for 2022 will only just be missed.

The amount of energy generated from renewable sources is expected to rise by nearly 5% to 239 terawatt hours (TWh). Overall, the TSOs forecast payments to operators of renewable energy installations totalling €33.7bn in 2022. This is set against a revenue forecast on the power exchange of around €13.6bn for renewable electricity. Payment costs of €20.1bn therefore have to be covered by the EEG surcharge and the government assistance.

As in the previous years, next year's surcharge includes a reserve liquidity that serves to offset negative account balances (for example, if electricity prices on the exchange fall significantly again) and liquidity risks arising from the dependence of the account balance on the renewable generation that fluctuates through the seasons. The TSOs have halved the reserve compared to the previous year, from 10% to 5%.

Press release (pdf / 711 KB)

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