Flemish Energy Minister Zuhal Demir is aiming for a new postponement of the capacity tariff. Due to this rate, which the VREG wants to introduce in July, a third of consumers would have to pay more for their bill. Small consumers are particularly affected in that case. The energy regulator decides autonomously on the tariff structure, but what is now on the table is a “no-go” for Demir. “No pasaran. We are not going to do crazy things,” it sounded in the Flemish parliament.
Read all about the energy agreement in this file
The capacity tariff calculates the costs for using the electricity grid in a different way. In future, grid tariffs would no longer be fully calculated on the basis of the amount of electricity purchased, but largely on the basis of peak consumption. This makes it more interesting to spread power consumption. The new rate would come into effect in January 2022, but has already been postponed to July 1.
A study by Ghent University now shows that the new rate could saddle up to a third of families – mainly small users – with an annual bill of up to 100 euros.
“Best reprieve”
There is not a single party in the Flemish Parliament that openly and wholeheartedly supports the introduction of the capacity tariff. Demir made it clear that in her opinion the plans should be reconsidered and postponed.
“It is incomprehensible that smaller households and people who consume little in particular should pay more. That is why I am in favor of telling the VREG together with this full parliament that this is a no-go, a ‘no pasaran’ and that we should postpone this for a while”, says Demir.
“Don’t let go of balloons”
The problem is that neither the government nor the parliament has anything to say about the tariff structure. The VREG decides on this autonomously. But the board of directors of the regulator is politically composed. Demir and N-VA MP Andries Gryffroy call on the other parties in parliament to weigh in on the file there too.
Various parties also wanted to know from Demir what the Flemish government will do after the federal energy agreement to reduce the energy bill. The N-VA minister reiterated that the government has already made efforts to mitigate the Flemish component in the bill and that “a lot of work is still being done on structural measures”. “I don’t want to release balloons. It must be legally robust,” says Demir. At the same time, the Flemish government plans to return the surplus revenues from the Climate Fund to the families.
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