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If gas prices remain at current levels, the cost of the energy cap will be billions lower than expected. The cabinet will therefore lose 4.7 billion euros, reports the Central Planning Bureau (CPB). News time. This amount is significantly less than the tens of billions that the emergency measure would cost in a very harsh winter.
Gas prices have risen sharply in recent weeks precipitate. At the moment the price is 77 euros per megawatt hour; more than four times lower than the peak in August. Causes for this decline include the mild climate and well-filled gas reserves.
In October, the government still expected it to cost 23.5 billion to compensate families. In the worst case scenario, of a cold winter and therefore rising gas prices, there has even been talk of over 40 billion.
According to the CPB, the new more optimistic amount of 4.7 billion only applies if the current gas price is maintained. Whether this will actually happen is difficult to predict. It depends, for example, on the weather conditions, but also on the extent to which Russia continues to supply gas to other countries.
Creation of price ceiling
The price cap was hastily put together by the Cabinet in September. After long and intense meeting sessions, the bullet through the church: King Willem-Alexander announced in his speech from the throne that families would be compensated for the explosive increase in energy costs. Anyone who consumes less than 1,200 cubic meters of gas in a year pays 1.45 euros per cubic metre, taxes included. Far below the market price of around 3 euros.
Critics were quick to point out that the plan would have left a huge hole in the budget. The recent drop in gas prices and the CPB figures it could mean that toilet costs could be lower than previously feared.
Nieuwsuur reconstructed the chaotic top price formation two weeks ago:
