German energy suppliers may be investigated amid consumer complaints about price hikes. Authorities believe some companies are raising tariffs to take advantage of billions of euros in state subsidies, Reuters reports.

“We have already started implementing the ban on abuse. In particular, we are moving forward with a plan to conduct specific investigations,” said Andreas Mundt, president of the Antimonopoly Regulatory Authority, in an interview with the German publication Rheinische Post.

Last year, Berlin adopted measures worth 200 billion euros to protect consumers and companies from high energy prices and reduce gas consumption.

According to consumers, the electricity and gas tariffs of some suppliers in Germany exceed the ceiling set by the government, despite a global decrease in energy prices compared to last summer, there are fears that some energy suppliers will raise prices in favor of government subsidies worth billions of euros.

Critics argue that once the price is capped, households do not benefit from subsidies to switch to cheaper energy suppliers because the cap is automatically applied and the government simply pays the difference.

The head of Germany’s antimonopoly regulatory body explained that since the end of last year, more than 40 complaints about energy prices have been received.

“It is not easy to find a black sheep among thousands of suppliers who have a wide choice of tariffs,” added Mundt (Agerpres).