The German Cabinet has approved a bill to modify the
nation's renewable energy law (EEG) to bring renewable energy tax concessions
for energy-intensive companies (EEG-Umlage) into line with European Union law.
Under the changes, companies eligible for concessions will
pay 15 percent of the renewable energy levy, currently set at 6.24 cent per
kilowatt-hour (kWh), up to a threshold of 4 percent of gross value added, for
companies whose electro-intensity is below 20 percent. Meanwhile, the tax is
capped at 0.5 percent of gross value for companies whose electro-intensity is
above 20 percent.
