Germany Import Nuclear Energy

Germany was europe s largest consumer of electricity in 2002.

Germany import nuclear energy.

Energy in germany is sourced predominantly by fossil fuels followed by wind nuclear power solar biomass wood and biofuels and hydro. The growing insecurity of german energy supply is made worse by the fact that its neighbors belgium and netherlands may shut down baseload capacity. Only in 2011 after the immediate shutdown of seven nuclear power reactors germany was a net importer of electricity from france chart 3. This factsheet provides a range of charts and data links about the status of germany s energy mix as well as developments in energy and power production and usage since 1990.

Since nuclear power generated almost a third of the electricity in germany many thought that the country would have to import energy as the nuclear phase out progressed. In reality every country with nuclear needs other plant types to cover peak power demand. It is a physical impossibility for germany to import nuclear power from foreign reactors already running full blast anyway yet the claim that germany is relying on foreign nuclear continues to rear its ugly head. Electricity consumption that year totaled 512 9.

The figure is now about 12 from seven reactors while over 40 of electricity comes from coal the majority of that from lignite. Coal plants in the netherlands and nuclear. Nuclear power in germany updated december 2019 germany until march 2011 obtained one quarter of its electricity from nuclear energy using 17 reactors. So no germany has not imported more nuclear power from abroad during its nuclear phaseout.

At first germany was still selling more electricity than it bought due to its renewable energy industry. Almost two thirds of the eu s energy imports in 2018 were petroleum products followed by gas 24 and solid fossil fuels 8. The eu produces large parts of its energy domestically with about a third from renewables and nuclear each and the rest mostly solid fuels like hard coal and lignite and some natural gas and crude oil still most energy needs about 60 are met with imports. Germany is net exporter.

From my home in freiburg germany it is 25 kilometers as the bird flies to france s oldest nuclear plant and around 60 kilometers to the world s oldest in switzerland. Negative net imports mean germany exports more electricity than it imports from france i e. A wealth of numbers and statistics describe the energy generation and consumption of nation states.