Czech industry minister discusses German gas transit fee in Berlin

Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Jozef Síkela held talks in Berlin yesterday on the economic and security implications of Germany’s fee for the transit and storage of natural gas. Czechia has reservations about the fee, saying it is not in line with solidarity agreements. Síkela told the Czech News Agency (ČTK) that he also discussed Czech interest in German coastal terminals for liquefied natural gas (LNG) with Stefan Wenzel, State Secretary to Germany’s energy minister, on the sidelines of a conference on the energy transition.

“We discussed the gas transit fee, gas and electricity connectivity issues, and what more we can do to ensure the Czech Republic’s energy security,” Síkela said.

Germany’s fee, set at 1.86 euros (47 Kč) per megawatt hour, has been criticised by several European Union countries because it makes gas supplied via Germany more expensive. These include Austria, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia, as well as Czechia. The European Commission is also addressing the issue.

Síkela and Wenzel also discussed the LNG terminal in Stade, northern Germany, and the terminal nearing completion at Mukran port on Rügen. Czechia has secured two billion cubic metres of gas a year at Stade from 2027, more than a quarter of current domestic consumption, and is also interested in Mukran.

“We talked about our interest in using German LNG terminals, because we have no sea. Mukran and Stade both came up. Of course, we agreed that Germany, as a country with access to the sea, must also play a role for other countries that do not have such access. That was part of the discussion about fees for gas storage and transit,” Síkela added.

At the conference, Síkela met representatives of Siemens Energy. They discussed turbines, particularly those already capable of burning hydrogen. Europe considers hydrogen a key energy source for the transition to a carbon-free economy.