Industry in Austria: 150 million euros in electricity bonus for 2025!

Industry in Austria: 150 million euros in electricity bonus for 2025!

The energy -intensive industry in Austria is relieved by a newly announced electricity bonus for the years 2025 and 2026. According to a report by vienna.at decided to provide 75 million euros in the budget, which results in a total of 150 million euros. Only companies with an annual electricity consumption of at least 1 gigawatt hour (GWH) can apply for this compensation. The payment should be made depending on the number of applications and will be retrospectively.

The electricity price in Austria has dropped by about 75 percent since 2022, which is a positive turn for the companies concerned. Economic Minister Wolfgang Hattmannsdorfer emphasizes the need to strengthen the competitiveness of industry, especially in view of the challenges of high energy prices, some of which are caused by the CO2 price. The last equalization of electricity price took place in 2022, where 185 million euros were paid to 44 companies.

Current challenges in the energy industry

The situation in Germany is alarming. According to DIHK , the energy prices in Europe are among the highest worldwide. The gas prices are up to seven times and electricity prices are up to five times higher than at competing locations. This high cost structure not only limits the transformation of the energy supply, but also means that four out of ten companies in Germany consider to shift or restrict their production abroad due to energy costs.

From 2025, the CO2 price in Germany will also increase to 55 euros per ton. This pricing is determined by supply and demand, which could lead to an unpredictable energy price shock in 2027. This not only ensures a high financial burden for consumers, but could also continue to put the competitiveness of industry in danger.

long-term effects of CO2 prices

for 2024, a CO2 price of 45 euros per ton is set, which already has considerable additional costs for consumers. A study warns that the energy transition may go more slowly than originally planned, which in combination with the increasing CO2 price could lead to costs of 200 to 300 euros per ton by 2030. This development could, for example, mean up to 2500 euros for an uncommodated single-family house with oil heating for CO2 tax, which should seem intolerable to many households.

In this context, it is crucial that both Austria and Germany take effective measures to ensure the competitiveness of industry and at the same time to achieve the EU climate targets, which provide for reducing greenhouse gases by 88 % by 2040 and climate neutrality by 2045 In summary, it can be said that the energy -intensive industry in Austria is relieved by the newly introduced electricity bonus, while companies in Germany are confronted with intolerable energy costs. The challenges that arise from increasing CO2 prices and an inadequate energy transition require immediate and appropriate political measures.