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Hattmannsdorfer Against Intervention in Gas Prices

Hattmannsdorfer lehnt einen Eingriff bei den Gaspreisen ab.
Hattmannsdorfer lehnt einen Eingriff bei den Gaspreisen ab. ©APA/EXPA/JOHANN GRODER
Economy Minister Hattmannsdorfer speaks out against political interventions despite rising gas network charges and also rejects a renewed reduction in energy taxes. He referred to the financial challenges of the republic. The gas network fees will increase significantly for the second consecutive time in 2026, after 16.6 percent in 2025, it will be around 18 percent.

Hattmannsdorfer explained that the increase is due to the gas infrastructure being supported by fewer and fewer users. He announced that next year he would address the dismantling of the gas network in the Gas Industry Act. Fewer customers mean that parts of the network would have to be shut down. The obligation to connect should also be discussed.

Gas pipelines to be used for hydrogen in the future

The occasion for the press conference was the establishment of a hydrogen infrastructure from North Africa through Italy to Austria and Germany. The plan for this southern corridor is to use individual strands of the natural gas pipelines for the transport of green hydrogen to industrial sites in the future. These pipelines are an "asset for the future" to make Austria a hub for hydrogen, said Hattmannsdorfer. Because hydrogen is the key to replacing natural gas as a raw material and energy source for the industry.

Electricity network fees rise only slightly thanks to credit resolution

Regarding the electricity network fees, which according to the draft regulation of E-Control will only rise slightly on average in 2026 and even decrease in four federal states, Hattmannsdorfer pointed out that the possibilities for cost containment have been utilized. Thus, "massive" influence was exerted on the transmission system operator, the Verbund subsidiary APG, to dissolve a credit of 120 to 130 million euros on a regulation account. Otherwise, the network charges would not rise by 1.1 percent in 2026, but by around 5 percent.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.

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