Offshore grid levy

The offshore grid levy (“offshore liability levy” until 2018) was introduced in Germany in 2013 to minimise the risks of delays in connecting offshore wind turbines to the electricity grid and to finance the associated costs arising from compensation in the event of disruptions. Since 2019, the costs of constructing and operating the offshore connection lines have also been covered.

The lawmakers have since transferred the regulations governing the offshore grid levy from Section 17f of the German Energy Industry Act (EnWG) in conjunction with Sections 26, 28 and 30 of the Combined Heat and Power Act (KWKG) to the Energy Financing Act (EnFG). The background to this is the reorganisation of the levy system through an amendment under what is known as the Easter package. The EnFG standardises the calculation, collection and equalisation mechanism of the levies (offshore grid levy and KWKG levy).

One purpose of the EnFG is to ensure the financing of the expenses incurred by grid operators with regard to the offshore grid connection. To this end, the EnFG regulates the settlement of offshore connection costs by charging the offshore grid levy. The provisions for determining the offshore connection costs are still contained in Section 17f of the Energy Industry Act.

The transmission system operators determine and publish the offshore grid levy for the following calendar year on their shared website by 25 October of each calendar year.

The offshore grid levy is a surcharge on the grid fees in cents per kilowatt hour and is shown as a separate amount on the electricity bill.