Germany's Energy Spending Could Drop If Power Prices Remain Low

Germany could end up spending less than planned on its power and gas support packages if prices don’t spike again, the German Finance Ministry told Reuters on Tuesday. Germany introduced at the end of last year so-called energy price brakes to support households and businesses against the impact of soaring energy prices. The government said it would allocate $217 billion (200 billion euros) for the so-called “defensive shield.” At the end of September, the German government ditched earlier plans for a gas levy on consumers and…