France: Europe's largest electricity exporter posted record exports last year

France's net electricity exports reached 89 TWh last year, the highest level on record. The previous net export record was set in 2002, at 77 TWh. High electricity exports from France were driven by high nuclear and hydropower generation combined with weak demand, the French transmission system operator said.

France's net exports rose by 37 TWh year on year to 89 TWh, with the country exporting more than it imported across all its borders: Germany-Belgium (27.2 TWh), Italy (22.3 TWh), the United Kingdom (20.1 TWh), Switzerland (16.7 TWh) and Spain (2.8 TWh). This is according to preliminary data from France's transmission system operator, RTE.

France retained its position as Europe's largest electricity exporter, which it regained in 2023. The country's net exports are expected to remain at roughly the same level this year, Clement Bouilloux, head of Montel Analytics France, said.

“Thanks to low variable costs (around 80% of electricity is generated from nuclear and hydropower), French electricity generation is competitive in European markets and is preferred over thermal power plants in neighbouring countries,” Thomas Veyrenc, head of forecasting and strategy at RTE, said on LinkedIn.

Higher nuclear and renewable generation

Record-high exports were in line with forecasts by RTE and energy company EDF and confirmed the recovery in French electricity generation, which rose by 15% year on year to 527 TWh last year.

The increase was driven primarily by higher nuclear generation. It reached 361.6 TWh last year, up 41.2 TWh (or 13%) from 2023. State-owned utility EDF raised its projected output last month, citing improved efficiency in outages and repairs related to stress corrosion.

Electricity generation from renewable energy sources rose by 18% year on year, mainly thanks to a 27% increase in hydropower generation to 71.7 TWh, the highest level since 2013.

Generation from solar power plants rose by 9% to 23.3 TWh, while wind power generation fell by almost 5% to 46 TWh.

Consumption on a long-term downward trend

Record exports were also driven by weak domestic electricity demand, Veyrenc said. Electricity consumption in France rose by 3.3 TWh year on year to 428.4 TWh in 2024, but had been falling steadily since 2019 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the energy crisis.

The electricity consumption figures have not yet been adjusted for the impact of temperature. This has a significant effect on electricity consumption in France because of the high share of electric heating.