<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;">EU chief Ursula von der Leyen has called for cuts to electricity use across the 27 states and windfall taxes on energy firms to tackle high prices.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>She told the European Parliament that gas and electricity prices had reached record levels and hit all-time highs after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.</div><div><br></div><div>She called for electricity consumption to be cut at peak hours by at least 5%.</div><div><br></div><div>But plans for a cap on the price of natural gas, a key Russian export to the EU, were put on the backburner.</div><div><br></div><div>The plan outlined in Strasbourg targets "excess revenues" with proposals to skim the profits of low-carbon electricity producers and implement a de facto windfall tax on the oil, gas and coal sectors.</div><div><br></div><div>The money raised, estimated to be €140bn (£121bn; $141bn), would go to families and businesses. Source: BBC</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>