E.ON CEO Leonhard Birnbaum expects higher fees for energy and higher prices for customers due to political decisions. In an interview with the "Rheinische Post," Birnbaum said that all providers will pass on these surcharges, resulting from the increase in value-added tax for gas and the elimination of reduced network fees by transmission network operators for electricity, to consumers in the coming months.

He does not assume that prices will fall back to the level before the crisis triggered by the Ukraine war in the medium term. Even though the costs for electricity generation from renewable energies such as wind and solar are relatively low, the costs for securing windy and dark days through storage or new gas power plants increase overall supply costs.

Birnbaum also sees a risk in the escalation of the situation in the Middle East, as this would not only affect the oil price, but also the gas and electricity prices. The Persian Gulf is an important route for the transportation of oil and liquefied gas.

Birnbaum rejects the demands of some politicians for a revival of nuclear power and emphasizes that it is no longer technically possible and that the topic is closed for Germany. The German-Italian CEO of the Essen Group also criticizes the excessive bureaucracy in Germany. "A small example: Today we have to submit application documents in an accessible format as well."

"We have to submit numerous folders not only in paper form to the authorities, but we also have to provide the contents summarized as a podcast." According to Birnbaum, this is "crazy."

E.ON share loses 0.54 percent temporarily on XETRA trading and stands at 12.09 euros.