After the leaders of the CDU/CSU and SPD postponed the reduction in electricity tax originally agreed in the coalition agreement, the Alliance for the Strengthening of Digital Infrastructures in Germany, founded under the umbrella of the eco Association, appealed to the German Federal Government: The CDU/CSU and SPD should maintain the positive momentum from the coalition agreement in order to create strong impetus for Germany as a business location in practice.
For companies in the digital infrastructure ecosystem, such as data centres and cloud infrastructures, the high electricity prices in Germany are an enormous competitive disadvantage and jeopardise the performance of digital infrastructures in this country, warns Dr. Béla Waldhauser, spokesperson for the initiative. The industry in this country is struggling with uncompetitive electricity costs, which are among the highest in Europe.
Waldhauser: “The electricity tax reduction must come, because as things stand at present, electricity is definitely not competitive for the digital infrastructure ecosystem. It is regrettable that the CDU/CSU and SPD are apparently once again failing to take data centre operators into account when it comes to the transfer of grid fees, especially as these account for a significant proportion of electricity costs in data centres. The German Federal Government should urgently include data centre operators in the reduction of the electricity tax and thus at least provide partial relief. Digitalisation is the lever for an efficient and successful economy worldwide and must not be allowed to fall behind in Germany.”
