Implementation of the EU unbundling guidelines in Germany - A legal perspective

Abstract

The unbundling requirements contained in §§ 6-10 German Energy Industry Act [Energiewirtschaftsgesetz (EnWG)] are of great importance within the new EnWG. They have already changed the structures in the German energy industry, which had grown up over decades. In particular, the necessity for many electricity supply companies are required to undergo legal unbundling (§ 7 EnWG) and operational unbundling (§ 8 EnWG), which has led to the establishment of many grid companies. Moreover, the management and staff of these grid companies (or for grid sectors continuing to be legally dependent) have also formed a self-image of their own. This chapter gives a brief overview of the Community Law basis of unbundling and the latest developments in Community Law (and politics), after which the current German requirements of unbundling are specified. © 2009 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.