A New Electric Netz

"The creation of a German grid holding is in principal an acceptable way of meeting our demands," EU energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs told the Sueddeutsche Zeitung newspaper Wednesday.

The plan, proposed in response to the EU's policy strategy that would enforce the full unbundling of grid ownership, would combine the German power grids operated by the utility companies EON, RWE, Vattenfall Europe and EnBW.

"This is a good way for Germany," said an EON spokesperson.

The Devil is in the details

In order to meet the EU's demands that the gas supply be separated from the generation of electric power, however, Piebalgs stressed that none of the utility company owners should have a dominate influence on the holding.

The EU created this policy in a move designed to spur competition on the European energy market. Germany, along with seven other EU member states, has rejected the policy and the joint holding was proposed as a compromise.

Agreement came too late for EON, however. The Duesseldorf-based company agreed several weeks ago to sell part of its distribution network.