Rev­enue Cap De­ci­sions

The revenue cap for each operator is determined by the operator's base level of costs and efficiency score.

The regulatory authority issues an official notice stating the revenues allowed in each year of the regulatory period; this marks the end of this step of the process.

An overview of the proceedings (TSO standard procedure, DSO standard procedure and the simplified procedure) along with the corresponding file number is organised by regulatory period and may be found here: Revenue cap proceedings by regulatory period

Companies with less than 30,000 directly or indirectly connected customers can choose to participate in what is called the "minimal regulation" before the beginning of the regulatory period (section 24 ARegV). Network operators participating in the minimal regulation do not undergo efficiency benchmarking but instead are assigned an average efficiency score. Beginning with the second regulatory period, the efficiency score in the minimal regulation is created by weighting and averaging all efficiency scores throughout Germany from the previous regulatory period. The mean efficiency scores are shown below.

The efficiency score results after weighting for DSOs in the minimal regulation as follows:
Fourth regulatory period97,01 %
Third regulatory period96,69 %
Second regulatory period96,14 %
First regulatory period87,5 %


After the proceedings have concluded, the ruling chamber decisions can be viewed by entering the corresponding file number in the Decisions database, which is available only in German.

The level of the approved revenues shall generally not be adjusted during the regulatory period. The system does, however, provide flexibility to react appropriately to a enumerated set of changes.

If there is a change, for example, in one of the permanently non-controllable cost categories during a regulatory period, the revenue cap can be adjusted (section 4 ARegV). This is initially done by the companies themselves as part of their pricing for the next calendar year.

Adjusted annual revenue caps are listed as a total value in the data sheet for electricity and gas network operators in accordance with section 23b EnWG.

Date of modification: 2021.08.31

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