Energy supply: consumer advocates warn of gas barriers

gas meter

High energy prices are affecting the citizens – gas or electricity cuts threaten in the event of payment difficulties.

(Photo: dpa)

Berlin The Federation of German Consumer Organizations (VZBV) is calling for the shutdown of electricity or gas to be suspended due to unpaid bills in view of the high energy prices. The head of the energy and construction team at VZBV, Thomas Engelke, told the Handelsblatt that the federal government must ensure when reforming the Energy Security Act “that heat and heating should not be a question of money”.

“Households must be supplied with energy in the event of insolvency,” Engelke demanded. A “moratorium” on gas or electricity cuts for consumers who cannot pay their bills must therefore be stipulated in the law.

This Friday, the Bundestag is dealing for the first time with a draft law by the traffic light groups to “change the Energy Security Act 1975 and other energy industry regulations”.
Against the background of Russia’s illegal attack on Ukraine, the law is intended to strengthen crisis prevention and management in order to ensure security of supply in Germany.

During the Corona period, the major energy suppliers in Germany had voluntarily decided not to block the electricity and gas connections of defaulting customers. It is currently not foreseeable whether this will be the case again in view of the sharp rise in prices. Politicians have so far relied on appeals.

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The Rhineland-Palatinate Minister of Social Affairs, Alexander Schweitzer (SPD), recently addressed the energy suppliers in the state. In a letter, he asked “to avoid electricity and gas cutoffs for indebted people and people at risk of poverty as far as possible in these difficult times, and thus to secure the elementary basics of life”.

Inflation fuels fears of gas lockdown

The topic drives people nationwide, also because of the high inflation. The inflation rate in Germany rose further to 7.4 percent in April due to the war in Ukraine and rising energy prices. This is the highest level since October 1981, as the Federal Statistical Office announced on Thursday.

Dörte Elss from the Berlin consumer advice center reports that a large number of concerned citizens called because they were afraid of the gas blockade. It’s not just about socially disadvantaged people, Elss told the RBB broadcaster. “Groups are also affected that have not previously needed social benefits.”

With the amendment to the Energy Security Act, Federal Economics Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) is now stepping up preparations in the event of a serious energy crisis in Germany. The Energy Security Act dating back to 1975 was a reaction to the oil crisis and is now to be adapted to the current crisis.

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In the event of a crisis, companies that operate critical energy infrastructure should be able to be put under trustee management. In extreme cases, expropriation is also possible. The law already provided for this, but the possibility should now be made clearer.

>> Read also: The showdown: how Russia uses energy as a weapon

In addition, the government is to be authorized to take the necessary measures by means of legal ordinances in the event of an immediate threat or disruption to the energy supply in order to ensure that vital energy requirements are met. It should also be possible to prescribe energy-saving measures.

In theory, car-free Sundays and a temporary general speed limit could be prescribed. Above all, the FDP is against a speed limit on the Autobahn.

VZBV expert Engelke thinks the plans are basically correct. However, he points out that security of supply is a “task for society as a whole”. “The new law must therefore cover all sectors such as industry, services, trade, the public sector or private households equally,” he said. So far, this has not been sufficiently clearly regulated in the draft law.

More: Who will have to pay in the future when energy prices rise massively

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