ÖGB calls for improvements: New law for fair energy prices!

ÖGB calls for improvements: New law for fair energy prices!

Österreich - The Austrian Trade Union Confederation (ÖGB) welcomed the draft for a new Electricity Economic Act (ELWG). According to the information from OTS should create clear rules for safe and affordable energy supply. However, the ÖGB sees improvement, especially with regard to the lack of crisis mechanism, which is urgently needed to prevent price jumps on the energy market.

The ELWG aims to provide affordable, safe and sustainable energy for all citizens. A positive element of the draft law is the planned introduction of a social tariff, which is intended to support people with low incomes, such as apprentices, students and unemployed. This measure is considered an important step to relieve around 250,000 households.

central cornerstones of the draft law

The new electricity management law pursues three main goals: the reduction in electricity prices, the stabilization of the power grids and the acceleration of the energy transition. This emerges from an overview of Meinverzirk . An essential component is the introduction of flexible and time -dependent network charges that are intended to reward network -friendly user behavior. In addition, dynamic power contracts for households are to be created that enable cost -saving use during favorable times.

A new stabilization mechanism should also apply to extreme price increases. In the future, E-Control will comprehensively monitor wholesale and end customer prices to prevent market manipulations. Furthermore, public energy suppliers receive the obligation to consider the common good in their statutes.

digital innovations and other measures

The law provides for a digital upgrading of the electricity market, which is promoted by the introduction of virtual billing points and smart meters. These innovations are intended to promote a transparent and citizen -friendly power supply, as is emphasized by BMK . Another important point is the statutory anchoring of peer-to-peer current transfer, which enables direct current transactions between households.

The comprehensive reform approach aims to make Austria in modern energy policies and to improve the technical infrastructure. The assessment phase for the ELWG is four weeks and will help to conduct the necessary adjustments and discussions about the law.

Despite the positively rated approaches, the ÖGB remains skeptical, especially with regard to the lack of crisis mechanism, which plays an important role in the current energy market. An early regulation is considered essential to be protected from possible prices explosions and inflation.