Billing years 2026 to 2028

Industrial electricity price: check eligibility and calculate your relief

The funding guideline has been in force since 6 May 2026. Find out whether your site is eligible for aid and what amount applies to your electricity consumption.

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Calculated with BAFA's official formula

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As of 27 Oct 2026, checked against the BAFA fact sheets of 4 Aug 2026. No guarantee. Only the decision of the Federal Office for Economic Affairs and Export Control (BAFA) is binding.

Basics

What the industrial electricity price is

The industrial electricity price (Industriestrompreis) is a temporary equitable relief payment (Billigkeitsleistung) for electricity-intensive and trade-intensive companies. It is granted retroactively on application and is meant to prevent high electricity costs from driving production abroad. The legal basis is the guideline of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy, published in the Federal Gazette on 6 May 2026 and based on the European state aid framework CISAF.

Relief covers half of the eligible electricity consumption. In return, the company commits to investing at least half of the basic aid in decarbonisation measures. The authority in charge is BAFA.

3.744 ct/kWh

Difference price for billing year 2026, derived from the reference price of 8.744 ct/kWh minus the target price of 5 ct/kWh

50%

of eligible electricity consumption qualifies for aid

€187,200

Basic aid per 10 GWh of eligible electricity consumption in billing year 2026

+ 10%

Flexibility bonus on the basic aid if most of the investment goes into demand-side flexibility

50%

of the basic aid must be invested in decarbonisation measures within 48 months

31 Mar 2027

Application deadline for billing year 2026; applications expected to open in December 2026

The amounts shown are based on the reference price published by BAFA for billing year 2026. The reference prices for 2027 and 2028 are not yet available. Funding is subject to available budget; if funds are insufficient, all eligible aid is reduced proportionally.

Basics

Who is eligible and how much relief you get

Companies based in Germany are eligible if their site (Abnahmestelle) belongs to an industry in sub-list 1 of Annex I of the CEEAG list (KUEBLL). What counts is the WZ 2008 classification of economic activities and the classification of the individual site, not of the company as a whole. Check whether your company is on the list here. The cut-off date is the end of the billing year. There is no minimum consumption; from 10 GWh of eligible consumption an auditor's certificate is required.

The basic payment is half of the eligible electricity consumption multiplied by the difference price for the billing year. For 2026 the reference price is €87.44 per megawatt hour; capped by the target price of €50, this gives a difference price of €37.44 per megawatt hour.

In return, the company commits to investing at least half of the relief payment in decarbonisation measures. The guideline names four categories: renewable generation, energy efficiency, demand-side flexibility and infrastructure. No other state aid may be claimed for the costs of these measures.

The flexibility bonus

If you commit to investing 80 percent of the minimum investment amount in demand-side flexibility measures, you receive an additional 10 percent on top of the basic payment. Of this bonus, 75 percent must in turn go into decarbonisation measures. The commitment is made when applying, i.e. by 31 Mar 2027 at the latest. This is a decision date, not a completion date.

Industriestrompreis 2026 bis 2028

Wie viel Förderung steht Ihnen zu?

Branche wählen, Jahresverbrauch eingeben. Sie sehen sofort, was Sie mit und ohne Flexibilitätsbonus bekommen und wie der Bonus ohne eigenes Kapital zustande kommt.

Branche der Abnahmestelle

Maßgeblich ist der Wirtschaftszweig der Abnahmestelle, nicht der des Unternehmens.

Anrechenbarer Jahresstromverbrauch

So, wie er auf Ihrer Stromrechnung steht. Ohne Mengen, für die Sie Strompreiskompensation beantragen. Einen Mindestverbrauch gibt es nicht.

Anrechenbar als Dekarbonisierungsmaßnahme

Batteriespeicher als nachfrageseitige Flexibilität, Ziff. 4.1 c) aa)
Reduktion von Lastspitzen
Nutzung von Spotmarktpreisen

Das BAFA nennt die Installation eines Stromspeichers ausdrücklich als zulässiges Beispiel.

Überschlägige Einordnung nach der Richtlinie zum Industriestrompreis, Stand der Rechenparameter unten. Referenzpreis 2026: , Zielpreis , Beihilfeintensität 50 % (Ziff. 5.1 f), Flexibilitätsbonus 10 % (Ziff. 5.3). Leistungsberechtigt sind ausschließlich Wirtschaftszweige der Teilliste 1 des Anhangs I der KUEBLL 2022 (ABl. C 80 vom 18.02.2022). Kein Angebot, keine Rechtsberatung; die verbindliche Prüfung erfolgt am Einzelfall.

Battery storage

Why storage pays off twice here

Investments in energy storage that decouple production and electricity consumption in time are expressly eligible. As an example, BAFA names installing an electricity storage system to reduce peak loads, optimise self-consumption of solar power and take advantage of spot market prices.

A storage system therefore does more than fulfil the investment obligation. It also falls into the category of demand-side flexibility and so unlocks the flexibility bonus. The funding rises by 10 percent, while the system lowers energy costs in day-to-day operation anyway.

All costs for functionality and operational readiness are eligible, including planning, installation, electrical work and system integration

Not eligible are operating and maintenance costs, financing costs, taxes and charges, and feasibility studies

The measure does not have to be at the site applied for; it only has to be carried out in Germany

If the investment exceeds the minimum amount, the excess can be credited to further billing years

You do not have to buy the storage system

Decarbonisation measures may be carried out by third parties, and their investment does not need any functional or economic link to the applicant. In this set-up the full investment amount is eligible even though the company itself ties up no capital. The applicant remains responsible for effective implementation and for providing proof.

Important difference from renting

If, on the other hand, the storage system is rented or leased and recognised on the provider's balance sheet, only the instalments actually invoiced can be counted, not the investment amount. Which of the two applies depends on how the contract is drawn up and must be reflected accordingly in the proof.

Procedure

Application and deadlines

The application for billing year 2026 is submitted retroactively in 2027, exclusively online via the Förderzentrale Deutschland portal. A separate application is required for each billing year.

December 2026

Registration and creation of applications expected to be possible

31 Mar 2027

Application deadline for billing year 2026, also the date for deciding on the flexibility bonus

31 May 2027

Deadline for submitting the auditor's certificate, required from 10 GWh of electricity consumption applied for

15 Jul 2027

Extended deadline if electricity price compensation is applied for at the same time

until around 2031

Implementation of the decarbonisation measure, 48 months from the grant decision, up to 72 months for technical reasons

When applying, a self-declaration of the intention to invest is sufficient; the specific measure is only named with the proof of fulfilment. The earliest eligible implementation date is the start of the billing year, i.e. 1 Jan 2026 for 2026. The proof of fulfilment must be submitted no later than three months after the implementation period ends; if it is missing, the grant decision is revoked in full.

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Frequently asked questions

Answers to the most important questions

Will I now get my electricity for 5 cents per kilowatt hour?

No. The target price of 5 cents is the amount an eligible company must at least bear itself for the subsidised quantity. Relief covers at most half of the eligible consumption, and payment is made retroactively in the following year.

Is there a minimum consumption?

No. The guideline provides for neither a minimum consumption nor a minimum company size. From 10 gigawatt hours of eligible consumption an auditor's certificate is required.

Are retail, crafts or services eligible?

As a rule, no. What counts is whether the site belongs to an industry in sub-list 1 of Annex I of the CEEAG list (KUEBLL), which covers energy-intensive industries.

Can I combine the industrial electricity price and electricity price compensation?

Both can be applied for in the same year. However, electricity consumption for which electricity price compensation is claimed cannot be counted for the industrial electricity price. The quantities must be split.

When does the investment have to be completed at the latest?

Within 48 months of the grant, counted from the date of the decision; up to 72 months are possible for technical reasons. For billing year 2026 the deadline therefore runs until around 2031. A system built in 2027 fulfils the obligation from 2026.

Do investments I have already made count?

Only measures implemented after the start of the respective billing year. For billing year 2026, what counts is what was put into operation in 2026 at the earliest. Costs incurred before that are excluded.

Can one system cover several billing years?

Yes. If the investment exceeds the minimum investment amount, the excess can be credited to further billing years. The split must be stated in the proof and is not made automatically.

What happens if the obligation is not met?

The relief payment is revoked to the extent of non-fulfilment and reclaimed proportionally. Repayments bear interest at five percentage points above the base rate. If no proof is provided at all, the decision is revoked in full.

What happens if the budget is not sufficient?

Funding is subject to available budget. If funds are insufficient, all eligible aid is reduced proportionally. The time of submission has no influence on the amount.

Contact

Have your eligibility checked free of charge

The calculator gives a rough estimate. For a binding assessment we look at the industry of your site, your load profile and the investment obligation in each individual case. Use this form to send us a contact request, even if you have not used the calculator. Your calculator result is not sent along; feel free to enter your industry and annual consumption in the message field.

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