Year-on-year increases in grid charges have become a significant cost element on companies’ electricity bills. Changes to the design of grid charges have the same impact on companies’ electricity costs as price developments on the power exchange. It is therefore correct to continue offering industrial companies a special grid charge as part of the new general grid charge system if it relieves the electricity grid.

The principle here is that flexible behaviour should be rewarded while inflexible production processes should not be penalised. Regarding a successor arrangement for the base load rule, the considerations of the BNetzA are headed in the right direction. However, the reasons for abolishing the established atypical grid usage rule, which already incentivises flexibility in the economy today, remain unclear and require explanation.

The atypical grid usage rule is particularly used in medium voltage sectors by traditional industrial SMEs. These are enterprises ranging from metal and plastics processing to the food industry, cold storage in logistics or pumped storage power plants in the energy sector. If the atypical grid usage rule is abolished for these companies in the future, they will face significant grid charge increases.

These cost increases will be higher for companies that have shifted loads extensively in the past. Instead of urgently needed flexibility incentives for businesses, this approach wastes potential. This is particularly problematic since the BNetzA's thoughts on successor arrangements allow only large companies with annual consumption of at least 10 gigawatt-hours (GWh) to apply. The competitiveness of energy-intensive SMEs in Germany would no longer be viable, as their annual consumption is usually far below the 10 GWh threshold.

The German Federal Network Agency (BNetzA) is shaping the regulatory framework for the future financing of electricity grids with its new grid charge system. All grid users must contribute to this. Feeders and storage systems must be included in the future to distribute costs across multiple stakeholders. Dynamic and signal-based grid charges must also support efficient grid usage.

These are crucial undertakings by the BNetzA, which should be implemented independently of individual interests. As a result, increases to grid charges for businesses as a whole can be limited.

Furthermore, special grid charges for the industrial SME sector must be opened up by continuing the atypical rule and lowering application thresholds for industrial grid charges to one gigawatt-hour. These costs should no longer be distributed as a levy but reimbursed to the economy from the funds of the Climate and Transformation Fund (KTF). This strengthens Germany as an industrial location and creates incentives for flexibility and electrification.