Entrepreneurs can submit the energy cost allowance for energy-intensive SMEs (TEK) retroactively (from 1 November 2022) up to and including 31 December 2023. The TEK scheme was already announced by the cabinet at the end of last year but then had to be further elaborated.
Brussels
The European Commission has yet to approve the scheme. The grant will only be provided if permission has been obtained from Brussels, a spokesman for the Ministry of Economic Affairs (EZK) said. Consequently, in case of refusal by the European Commission, no amount received should be recovered from the SMEs.
In order to provide information to entrepreneurs – who are waiting for the scheme – the scheme has already been published in the Official Journal, says the EZK spokesman. The Dutch Enterprise Agency (RVO) also needs to have enough time to prepare for processing applications.
7 percent
Small and medium-sized enterprises whose energy costs amount to at least 7% of turnover are eligible for compensation of up to €160,000. Associations and foundations that meet the conditions of the TEK scheme can also apply. The Ministry of Economy predicts that “several tens of thousands of companies and organizations” will be eligible for compensation.
Entrepreneurs who qualify for the TEK scheme receive a maximum of 50 percent of the difference between the threshold price and the maximum price. The threshold price was set at €1.19 per cubic meter for gas and €0.35 per kWh for electricity. The maximum price for gas has been set for the regime at 3.19 euros per cubic meter and for electricity at 0.95 euros per kWh.