EU ministers agree to impose emergency measures to reduce energy prices

BRUSSELS, Sept. 30 (Xinhua) -- Energy ministers of the European Union (EU) member states reached a political agreement at their extraordinary Council meeting held here on Friday on a series of emergency measures to mitigate the current high prices of electricity.

"Member states will flatten the curve of electricity demand during peak hours, which will have a direct positive effect on prices," the session's chair, the Czech Republic's Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Sikela, said. "Member states will redistribute surplus profits from the energy sector to those who are struggling to pay their bills."

These measures "will provide the member states a tool to shield consumers from high electricity prices," European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson commented.

The reduction of demand for electricity during the winter is the first of these emergency measures.

"The Council agreed to a voluntary overall reduction target of 10 percent of gross electricity consumption and a mandatory reduction target of 5 percent in peak hours," a press release from the Council of the EU said.

Revenues for so-called inframarginal producers will be capped at 180 euros (176 U.S. dollars) per megawatt hour (MWh). Inframarginals are technologies used to produce electricity at low cost, such as renewables, nuclear and lignite.

These electricity producers are benefitting from the current high price of electricity. Their surplus profits will be redirected "towards supporting and protecting final electricity customers."

The fossil fuel sector will also contribute to this financial relief with a solidarity levy taken from their taxable profit. This comes on top of already applicable taxes. The solidarity levy will be applied to companies "active in the crude petroleum, natural gas, coal and refinery sectors."

The measures are temporary and extraordinary in nature. They will apply from Dec. 1, 2022, to Dec. 31, 2023. The energy consumption reduction targets shall apply until March 31, 2023. The mandatory cap on market revenues shall apply until June 30, 2023. The member states introduced specific exemptions for Cyprus and Malta.

These measures should be adopted in early October. The energy ministers have discussed other potential measures, and they expect the European Commission to present further proposals for next week's informal meeting of European leaders in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. (1 euro = 0.98 U.S. dollars)