"Grid fee exemption for electrolysers must be extended in time" - that was the clear message at today's Parliamentary Breakfast at EWE's representative office in Berlin. At a press briefing, EWE's Chief Technology Officer Dr. Urban Keussen and Christian Heine, Spokesman for the Management Board of Hamburger Energiewerk, among others, informed that the time limit for the grid fee exemption of electrolysers regulated in the current Energy Industry Act (EnWG), specifically in Section 118 (6), jeopardizes the national hydrogen ramp-up. According to the law, only electrolysers that go into operation by 2026 will be exempt from the grid fee for 20 years. The grid fee exemption will not apply to plants that go into operation after 2026. In Germany, eleven companies are currently pursuing the realization of so-called IPCEI electrolysis projects. The projects all involve the construction of an electrolyzer and aim to realize the ramp-up of hydrogen infrastructure in Germany and the EU through early and bold commitment. "However, it is virtually impossible to implement the projects by 2026 because the release of funding by the EU Commission is two years behind schedule," said Dr. Keussen. "For this reason, we are calling for the exemption from grid charges for electrolysers to be extended by two years, i.e. until 2028, in order to create the conditions for a successful hydrogen launch in Europe," the EWE Chief Technology Officer continued. Due to the high electricity demand of the electrolysers, the grid fees would represent an enormous economic risk, especially in the start-up phase of the projects.