German gas market coordinator Trading Hub Europe said on Thursday that from January it will scrap a surcharge on gas prices previously used to ensure minimum filling requirements, in line with legislation prepared earlier this year.
The removal of the surcharge, currently amounting to 2.89 euros per megawatt hour (MWh), hinges on an energy law change coming into force on that date, THE said in a statement.
Germany's lower house of parliament passed a bill on November 6, ruling that the surcharge costs incurred up to the end of 2025, which amount to as much as 3.4 billion euros ($3.9 billion), will be covered by a Climate and Transformation Fund.
The levy was introduced after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to help cover the costs of replacing Russian pipeline gas with more expensive origins and modes of transport, such as sea-borne liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Since then, the German economy ministry has become aware that some of the state moves administered by THE have added to energy costs for consumers, and has embarked on more measures to boost market-based strategies to bring supply security.
Germany has 22.6 billion cubic metres of underground gas storage capacity, which in 2024 equated to 26% of its total annual consumption and makes it one of the big global players for storage along with the United States, Russia and Ukraine.
(Reuters, November 20, 2025)
