Austria's Reform Partnership Targets €4.1 bn Savings on Power Grid Costs

Austria’s federal government, the states and municipalities have reached a reform partnership on the energy sector. The agreement aims to reduce electricity network charges by about €4.1 billion by 2040, benefiting households, businesses and industry.

Key measures include faster permitting procedures, more efficient organization of grid expansion, standardized reporting and benchmarking, and increased digitalisation of networks to better utilise existing capacity and free reserved but unused lines. Voluntary cooperation among grid operators will be facilitated, and stricter rules will require unused reserved capacity to be released.

A new constitutional competence called “Energiewirtschaft” will clarify responsibilities between the federal level and the states, helping to implement EU directives more uniformly. The Renewable‑Expansion Acceleration Act will embed the principle “one project, one authority, one procedure, one decision” for major energy projects. Draft legislation is expected by the end of 2026.