Plus 29 percent

Grid fees rise sharply, Graz is the big exception

The expansion of the electricity grid costs billions of euros.

(Bild: Jürgen Radspieler)

Grid fees will rise significantly for most Styrian households next year. An increase of 29 percent is expected, which will drive up electricity bills. The big exception is Graz, where tariffs are actually falling.

The electricity price is made up of three components: the pure energy price (which went through the roof in 2022 but has since fallen again significantly), the grid fees and taxes and levies. While customers are free to choose their energy provider, the grid operator is predetermined.

And it is precisely these grid fees that will rise significantly in 2025. Background: Operators have to make large investments in the grids because more and more decentralized electricity is being fed in, with photovoltaic systems in particular playing a huge role. The regulatory authority E-Control is expecting an increase of 23 percent across Austria, and in Styria (with its challenging topography) the figure is expected to be as high as 29 percent.

Every household pays more than 100 euros extra
The average household will therefore pay over 100 euros more per year. Energy-intensive industry, which has already been in a crisis for years and suffers from competitive disadvantages in a global comparison, would be particularly hard hit.

Christopher Drexler (right) and Anton Lang.

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian)

Governor Christopher Drexler (ÖVP) and his deputy Anton Lang (SPÖ) emphasized on Thursday that both the provincial government and Energie Steiermark have no influence on the level of grid fees. They repeated a demand from the provincial governors' conference in December 2022: the federal government should bear these additional costs in order to relieve the burden on electricity customers. 

"The extension of the electricity price brake, which would expire at the end of the year, is also urgently needed. Above all, however, an extension of the current suspension of the renewable subsidy flat rate and the renewable subsidy contribution as well as the current reduction in the electricity levy must be continued," Drexler and Lang make further demands towards Wein.

Graz is the big exception
The big exception, throughout Austria, is the Styrian capital of Graz. The grid fees there will fall by as much as 4.6 percent next year! According to the city government, this corresponds to an average reduction of 15 euros. Around two thirds of the population of Graz are supplied by Stromnetz Graz GmbH. 

According to City Councillor Manfred Eber (KPÖ), the municipal subsidiary works "extremely effectively and with foresight". Despite the reduction, around ten million euros a year will continue to be invested in the electricity grid.