1 Aug. 2022: German goverment authorises utilities to pass on 90 per cent of higher costs for natural gas from October 2022 German goverment authorises utilities to pass on 90 per cent of higher costs for natural gas from October 2022.

According to the German paper industry, the German government must cancel the natural gas surcharge planned for the fall and assume the costs in full.

The German government has decided that from October 2022, utilities will be able to pass along 90 per cent of the higher costs for natural gas which have to be paid in order to offset lacking Russian supplies. This could add an extra €1,000 per year and household, and it expected to be exorbitant for energy-intensive industry customers. At the end of July the German government announced a bailout for energy supplier Uniper.

It was right and understandable that the German government had saved the gas importer Uniper from bankruptcy, commented the German paper association Die Papierindustrie. However, it should not pass on the costs for this to consumers and industry. "Those who demand solidarity must also provide it themselves," says the association.

For years, natural gas has been promoted as a bridging technology, the association writes. Private consumers and energy-intensive industry have followed suit and are already bearing enormous burdens due to the exorbitant rise in natural gas prices. They have already multiplied to over €150/MWh due to the noticeable throttling of Russian gas supplies since the beginning of last year.

The paper industry sees its production threatened both by rising costs and by an impending gas shortage. In the worst case, important value chains will no longer be able to be supplied with paper and packaging, e.g. the food and pharma industries, hospitals, and print media.