German Clean-Energy Costs Drop for First Time
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German electricity consumers will for the first time see a drop in the fee added to their bills to fund renewables, a boost for Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has pledged to curb the cost for voters.
Germany’s four grid companies set the EEG Umlage charge paid through power bills at 6.17 euro cents (7.8 U.S. cents) a kilowatt-hour next year, down from 6.24 euro cents now, according to a joint statement. The fee has risen more than fivefold since 2009, helping make household power bills the second-highest in the European Union.