Because of high market prices
Energy supplier does not accept new customers
03/10/2022, 5:38 p.m
Electricity and gas prices have skyrocketed, especially since the start of the Ukraine war. Some suppliers are therefore suspending their new customer business – such as Berliner Gasag, which supplies 600,000 households with gas and electricity.
The high exchange prices for electricity and gas are also causing problems for large energy suppliers. The Berliner Gasag announced that it is no longer accepting new customers for electricity and gas in fixed-term tariffs for the time being due to the sharp rise in procurement costs. But Gasag is not an isolated case. “We are also currently observing that providers are temporarily withdrawing new customer offers, but we do not have a complete overview of the market here,” said a spokesman for the comparison portal Verivox.
However, a withdrawal is not unusual, he stressed. “Since the beginning of the energy crisis, providers have repeatedly paused their new customer offers and come back as soon as the market prices allow it.” Industry circles have confirmed that “individual” companies are no longer accepting new customers on special tariffs or are reluctant to acquire new customers. “The situation is extremely tense and difficult because calculations are hardly possible,” said an insider.
Most suppliers, such as municipal utilities, buy a large part of their electricity and gas volumes, sometimes years in advance, at fixed prices. If they also need energy, this must be bought on the energy exchanges. Prices there have risen significantly in recent months, especially after the start of the war in Ukraine.
Gasag: Customers are not affected
The basic and replacement supply is not affected at Gasag, said a company spokeswoman. “As a Gasag customer, there is no need to worry – your supply is secured,” the website said. However, sales have been stopped for the time being. “Due to the current market situation and the rising procurement prices, intensified by the Ukraine conflict, it is currently not possible for us to offer you an offer with fair conditions.”
The wholesale price has increased by more than 500 percent compared to March 2021. “Gasag was able to secure large quantities of gas at lower prices at an early stage,” the company explained. “Therefore, the new high wholesale prices do not have to be passed on to the customers in full.” Gasag supplies gas to around 400,000 private households in Berlin and supplies more than 200,000 with electricity.
Last autumn, Germany’s largest energy supplier Eon did not accept any new gas customers for a few days, also citing the increased procurement costs as the reason for this. An Eon spokesman emphasized that products can still be offered to new customers at the moment. “The situation on the energy markets has been historically unique for months,” he said. The procurement prices for energy have been at a very high level since the start of the heating period. The market price for gas delivered the following day was 150 euros per megawatt hour on Wednesday. Three weeks earlier it was just under 69 euros.