2024-01-17 20:59:31
With 50.1 terawatt hours (TWh) of net electricity exports in 2023 to its European neighbors, France has regained its place as the leading exporter which was held by Sweden in 2022, according to data communicated on Wednesday by the analysis firm S&P Global Commodity Insights, and revealed the day before by the newspaper Les Echos.
In 2023, Sweden and Norway, two countries regularly at the top of the ranking thanks to their abundant hydroelectric production, achieved 28.6 TWh and 17.3 TWh of net exports respectively. Spain, which relies on solar and wind energy, is fourth with 13.9 TWh of net exports.
Nuclear production on the rise
Placed in 2022 in an unprecedented situation due to corrosion problems detected at the end of 2021 on several nuclear reactors, France had been a net importer of electricity for almost the entire year, which had not happened for 42 years .
Since then, nuclear and hydroelectric electricity production, dominated by the historic operator EDF, has recovered. With the restart of the reactors, EDF’s nuclear production increased to 320.4 TWh in 2023 compared to 279 TWh in 2022, a historically low level since 1988.
Germany reduces its production
For other experts, the decline in German electricity exports is mainly a question of price: Germany used to flood its neighbors with cheap coal-generated electricity, electricity which is now more expensive in due to higher CO2 pricing.
“We expect Germany to maintain its position as an importer in the near future, particularly as a number of coal and lignite plants are scheduled to close in 2024,” said Glenn Rickson at S&P Global. CommodityInsights.
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