BERLIN: Germany has reached agreement with the European Commission in a dispute over levies for power plants operated by companies, including BASF, which provide electricity for their own use, Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Tuesday.Under the agreement, new power plants with a capacity of less than 1 megawatt and more than 10 megawatts would pay 40 percent of the renewable energy surcharge, he said.
Other new plants would pay 40 percent of the surcharge as long as they run for less than 3,500 hours per year and they would pay the whole surcharge if they run for more than 7,000 hours.
Germany had wanted to make such power plants built after 2014 pay just 40 percent of the renewable energy surcharge but that hit resistance from the Commission.