The four main German transmission system operators (TSOs), namely 50Hertz, Amprion, TenneT und TransnetBW, have published their forecast for the 2018 German renewable energy surcharge (EEG-Umlage). It will drop down to €6.792c/kWh, which is 1.3% lower than in 2017 (€6.880c/kWh) due to an increase in the wholesale electricity price.
For 2018, the TSOs predict a further surge in electricity production from renewable plants by almost 17 TWh up to around 204 TWh. The increase reflects mostly the significant expansion of wind energy, both onshore and offshore. In total, the 2018 amount of the EEG is then predicted to hit €23.78bn.
The German electricity production from renewable energies has been regulated by the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG, Erneuerbare Energien Gesetz) since 2000 and it has been amended several times (2004, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014 and 2016). The rapid development of renewable capacities since 2000 has significantly raised the EEG surcharge, from around €1c/kWh in 2006 to €6.24c/kWh in 2014. It declined to €6.17c/kWh in 2015, before increasing again up to €6.35c/kWh in 2016.