Czech Republic and Switzerland import record amounts of electricity from Germany

German electricity exports will once again be record-breaking, exceeding last year’s 50 TWh. Net electricity imports have also increased in relation to the Czech Republic, which until last year had long been a net exporter of electricity to Germany, as well as overall compared with all neighbouring countries.

The record level of German electricity exports is due to Germany’s surplus capacity with low flexibility and higher electricity exports to France and Switzerland.

Both countries are facing lower generation from nuclear power plants as a result of ongoing safety inspections. German exports will exceed last year’s record 50 TWh. According to the Fraunhofer Institute, cited by Tageszeitung, this volume of electricity had already been surpassed around Christmas.

For comparison, net electricity consumption in the Czech Republic in 2015 was 59.3 TWh.

In addition to France and Switzerland, net electricity imports from Germany to the Czech Republic also increased. Net electricity imports from the German grid will be around 1.5 TWh this year – last year, this figure was only 0.15 TWh. The Czech Republic had long been a net exporter of electricity to Germany.