The Federal Network Agency has proposed a reform of the Grid fee discounts for industry as of January 1, 2026. In doing so, the authority wants to increase the incentives for flexible and system-friendly consumption behavior of industrial companies in Germany in order to meet the challenges of an electricity system with a high proportion of renewable energies. In terms of content, this intended new regulation fits in with the planned reforms of the Growth initiative, but could have significant effects on German electricity market and the energy transition.
Why is the reform of grid fee discounts necessary?
The existing approach to calculating grid fees is based on an electricity system characterized by constant electricity generation from coal and nuclear power plants. Up to now, industrial companies have received discounts on their Electricity grid chargesif they keep their electricity consumption stable or increase it at times of low grid load. The Federal Network Agency therefore recommends Band load and band current Regulation (also known as the "7,000-hour rule") as well as the benefits for the atypical network use to be phased out. A good 4,500 companies currently benefit from these grid fee rebates in accordance with Section 19 (2) StromNEV, saving a total of one billion euros annually.
With the increasing share of volatile renewable energies in the German electricity mix, which is expected to rise to almost 60 percent However, the Federal Network Agency believes that these rigid rules are no longer appropriate. Overall, industrial consumption must be made more flexible and the residual load minimized. In principle, there will continue to be Grid fee privileges are available. In future, however, these will only be awarded to companies that can dynamically adjust their electricity consumption in line with the current situation.
Klaus Müller, President of the Federal Network Agency, emphasizes that "the old grid fee discounts no longer meet the requirements of an electricity system that is characterized by a high proportion of renewable electricity generation". Therefore, a transition from a stare to a flexible system that adapts to the current electricity supply.
Reform cornerstones of the grid fee rebates for industry
Accordingly, the reform provides for electricity-intensive companies to be able to reduce their grid fees if they adjust their consumption to the current electricity supply. The benchmark here is to be the constantly fluctuating electricity exchange price be. This means that companies can reduce their grid fees if they increase their electricity consumption at the time when a lot of renewable electricity is available on the grid, and vice versa. This regulation is intended to create incentives to Production in times of high electricity supply increase and in times of scarce supply throttle. The main parameter for the new grid fee discounts will therefore be the level of the individual load change according to the tiered Day-ahead Hourly prices at the electricity exchange.
Simone Peter, President of the German Renewable Energy Federation (BEE), praised this approach to the reform of grid fee rebates for industry. She said that "the grid fees are intended to send signals to industrial consumers to behave in a market-oriented and systemic manner." This could reduce price fluctuations on the electricity market, relieve pressure on the grids and reduce costs.
Implementation and challenges for the new regulation of grid fee discounts
How a technical system can be developed that enables the industry to respond flexibly to Electricity volume and price trends will be discussed in the coming months. As a first step, the Federal Network Agency does not want to overburden the industry and will also Transition periods grant. In the beginning, she would rather Impulses to be able to control consumption more agilely. In the medium and long term, this will help to relieve pressure on the electricity grids and reduce the costs of grid expansion. The Federal Network Agency has also provided for this, Regional exceptions where necessary and to grant transitional arrangements to allow for gradual adjustment.
The reform as a building block of the new German energy strategy
The reform of the grid fee rebates for industry by the Federal Network Agency is an important step towards making electricity consumption more flexible and thus supporting the energy transition in Germany. By providing incentives for a System-friendly consumption behavior it can help to meet the challenges of an electricity system with a high proportion of renewable energies.
The new debate about a German Capacity market as part of the growth initiative or the planned Power Plant Safety Act. Components of the new strategy for securing the future power supply can also be found in the recently launched "Use instead of regulating 2.0". But even this cannot replace the urgently needed grid expansion, it can only cushion it.
What will happen with the grid fee rebates?
The public consultation on the position paper runs until September 18, 2024. After the input from various associations and energy-intensive industries, the legal drafting will take place. The final regulations are expected to come into force in early 2029. More on the status of the grid fee reform in our article. AgNes-Interim Report 2026.