After the shutdown of Germany’s last three nuclear power plants mid-April, the German economy imported significantly more electricity from its neighbors. In the second quarter of this year, 7.1 billion kilowatt-hours more were imported than exported, as reported yesterday by the Federal Statistical Office. This corresponds almost exactly to the amount of electricity generated by Germany’s three nuclear power reactors in the second quarter of 2022 (7.3 billion kWh). This is the highest import surplus in a quarter on record. (These statistics began in 1991.)
Before the April 15 shutdown of nuclear power plants, Germany had an export surplus. In the first quarter, Germany exported a net 9.1 billion kilowatt-hours to its neighbors. Most of Germany’s imports in the first half of 2023 came from the Netherlands and from France, which, ironically, has significantly ramped up its nuclear power production again.
