Primarily due to the federal government’s pledged subsidy of 6.5 billion euros, transmission system operators are set to significantly lower grid fees. Charges for the high-voltage transmission network will be roughly halved, according to the preliminary tariff sheet published by operator TransnetBW. “A significant price drop is emerging for the coming year 2026,” energy service provider e’net said on Tuesday.
The reduction in grid fees is expected to have an effect on electricity prices for consumers. However, the exact extent remains unclear. Relief is also likely to vary considerably by region. At the time of the cabinet decision on the 6.5-billion-euro subsidy in early September, the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs stated that electricity costs could fall by around two cents per kilowatt hour as a result.
Based on the provisional transmission grid fees, a reduction of this magnitude is at least conceivable. Since 2023, the four transmission system operators, TransnetBW, Amprion, Tennet and 50Hertz, have set uniform grid fees. How these are passed on to end customers depends on the respective energy suppliers.
In the tariff sheet dated Wednesday on the provisional grid fees, TransnetBW pointed out that the federal subsidy has not yet been adopted by parliament. “If there is no legal certainty by December 5, 2025, it must be assumed that the final nationwide transmission grid fees for 2026 will increase accordingly,” the company warned.
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