EnWG amendment facilitates the construction of energy storage systems

13.11.2025

Source: E & M powernews

The Bundestag's Economic Affairs Committee approves the amended "Act Amending the Energy Industry Act". It is intended to protect consumers and accelerate the expansion of storage facilities.

On November 12, the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy of the German Bundestag approved the bill to amend the Energy Industry Act with the votes of the SPD and CDU/CSU coalition parties. The AfD and the Greens voted against, while the Left Party abstained. The law is to be passed in the second and third readings in the Bundestag on November 13 and will come into force this year.

The reform is intended to strengthen consumer protection in the energy sector and facilitate the expansion of renewable energies. Key elements include the promotion of joint electricity consumption - known as energy sharing - and the acceleration of the smart meter rollout. This is intended to drive forward the digitalization of the energy industry.

Several amendments were also adopted in the parliamentary process. For example, the deadline for gas grid connection applications has been extended until the end of 2026. Applications can thus continue to be processed in accordance with the provisions of the expiring Gas Grid Access Ordinance. Construction planning procedures are also to be simplified for heat storage facilities and underground hydrogen storage facilities. According to the coalition parties, these facilities are central to the development of a national hydrogen economy.

The new regulations for large batteries

The new regulations for large-scale battery storage facilities are particularly emphasized. In future, they will be expressly recognized in the Building Code as privileged facilities in outdoor areas. This will make approvals considerably easier, as large-scale storage facilities usually have to be built near substations and grid nodes. According to the committee, the privileged status applies to systems with a capacity of at least 1,000 kWh.

The committee also adopted a motion for a resolution by the government parliamentary groups. This calls on the federal government to accelerate the rollout of smart metering systems. Among other things, a new sanction regime and an expansion of the area of application are to be examined.

A more comprehensive amendment to the Energy Industry Act is planned for 2026. However, an amendment proposed by the Greens did not receive a majority. The parliamentary group had called for grid connection applications to be fully digitized and automatic interfaces to be introduced. The Greens also wanted to establish a central contact point for energy sharing projects based on the Austrian model.

Solar industry welcomes new version of the law

Approval came from the solar industry. The German Solar Industry Association (BSW-Solar), based in Berlin, expressly welcomed the version passed by the committee. Managing Director Carsten Körnig explained that the new regulation is an important step for the accelerated expansion of electricity, heat and hydrogen storage systems. "This will considerably simplify planning permission and thus the implementation of battery and heat storage systems and make them more legally secure," said Körnig.

The association particularly praised the consistent exemption from grid fees for storage facilities, which was enshrined in the amendment to the law. According to the new regulation, so-called multi-use storage systems that draw electricity not only from the grid but also from photovoltaic systems or customer systems will also benefit in future. Previously, the exemption only applied to storage systems that only feed electricity into the grid.

According to BSW-Solar, multi-use storage systems can help to use grid connection capacities more efficiently, reduce feed-in and purchase peaks and thus stabilize the electricity system. According to the association, they therefore help to reduce costs for consumers.

BSW-Solar continues to advocate a statutory expansion target of 100 million kWh of storage capacity by 2030. Currently, 25 million kWh of capacity is installed, but 85 percent of this is only used for self-generated electricity.

Author: Susanne Harmsen