Energy-intensive companies have so far been reluctant to apply for state aid. Since the start of the program two weeks ago, only 13 companies have applied for subsidies to cover their increased energy and electricity costs, according to the responsible Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (Bafa), as reported by “Welt” in its Monday edition.
“Bafa sees a strong interest, but the program is only just beginning to be implemented in practice,” it said about the slow start of the application. The first thing to do is to clarify a wide range of detailed questions from interested companies about the application and the exact procedure. For this reason, no statement can yet be made on the volume applied for, since there are still questions to be clarified with regard to the applications that have already been submitted. Since July 15, companies that are particularly affected by the high energy prices can apply for a subsidy.
The application period ends on August 31st. A total of up to five billion euros are available. The aid is capped at a maximum of 50 million euros per company. The first payments should come in mid-August.
The prerequisite for the subsidy is that the costs for gas and electricity between February and September of this year have more than doubled compared to the previous year. It is estimated that around 1,500 companies would be eligible for the program as energy costs increase.
Photo: steel production, via dts news agency
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