Germany’s Power Grid Fee Exemptions for Companies Probed by EU

Germany’s power grid fee exemptions for companies that use large amounts of energy are being probed by European Union regulators over concerns that they may be illegal government subsidies.

The European Commission said it would investigate the fee waiver for large electricity customers, worth 300 million euros ($391 million) last year, following complaints from consumer groups, energy companies and others, according to an e-mailed statement today. The waiver is financed by a levy paid by other consumers.

To contact the reporter on this story: Aoife White in Brussels at awhite62@bloomberg.net.

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Anthony Aarons at aaarons@bloomberg.net.